


Flower Gleam and Glow

by midas_touch_of_angst



Series: Flower Gleam and Glow [1]
Category: Animaniacs, Frozen (Disney Movies), Pinky and the Brain, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: ADHD, Adoption, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Disney Fusion, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Frozen (Disney Movies) Fusion, Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010) Fusion, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Pinky (Pinky and the Brain), Autistic Wakko Warner, Dot Warner has ADHD, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Family, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Inspired by Tangled (2010), M/M, Sibling Bonding, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 44
Words: 117,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28836957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midas_touch_of_angst/pseuds/midas_touch_of_angst
Summary: The people of Warnerstock are struggling with the death of their King and Queen, but none so much as their two sons, Yakko and Wakko, who have difficulty dealing with the world they've been isolated from since their sister's kidnapping.At the same time, two criminal mice steal a very valuable crown and then end up roped into taking care of a kid with a strange backstory and dark past.And both of these stories get tangled with the tale of Dot, a young girl with mysterious golden fur, who has spent her entire life in an abandoned water tower. But every year on her birthday, thousands of lanterns fly into the sky, and she's determined this year to see them for herself and discover what they mean for her.And what happens when she figures it out? What does she, and her small chosen family, do then? And then what happens when you bring in the powers of the sun and the moon, mysterious demonic entities, and secrets waiting to be revealed?Tangled (and possibly more...) AU but instead of romance it's like 99% found family hurt/comfort.
Relationships: Brain/Pinky (Pinky and the Brain), Dot Warner & Wakko Warner, Dot Warner & Wakko Warner & Yakko Warner, Dot Warner & Yakko Warner, Rita & Dot Warner, The Brain & Dot Warner, The Brain & Dot Warner & Pinky, Wakko Warner & Yakko Warner, dot warner & pinky
Series: Flower Gleam and Glow [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2192826
Comments: 293
Kudos: 312





	1. Prologue

**CHAPTER ONE - PROLOGUE**

The elements of the world come together in a strange way. Some say all are made up of air, water, earth or fire, while some add other elements to the mix; lightning, ice, metal, wood, temperature, memory, laughter, or even including the sun and moon and stars above. There’s another element in our world, though, one that binds it all together; magic. Magic flows through everything; in the way a fire sparks to life, in the way a tree’s leaves can provide shade for all that rest beneath it, in the way that a friend can make another laugh. And magic is in the wonder of the sky, as well, perhaps a bit more than those on the ground below truly realize. 

We could say, for this beginning, that the Warner siblings’ story starts with the sun. 

Now, once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight, and a single drop of moonlight, fell from the heavens. The moondrop was lost for a good, long time- and we’ll get to that eventually, I promise you- but the sundrop was renowned across the land, and though it was kept hidden for centuries by an unknown guardian, legends spread throughout all the kingdoms. 

From this sundrop, they said, grew a magic, golden flower, with the ability to heal the sick and injured. And in order to evoke its power, one just had to sing a song, left etched into the walls of ruins and scribbled in texts too old to date. It wasn’t known by many, but it is said that the enchantment went as thus: 

_ Flower, gleam and glow _

_ Let your power shine _

_ Make the clock reverse _

_ Bring back what once was mine…  _

_ Heal what has been hurt _

_ Change the fate’s design _

_ Save what has been lost _

_ Bring back what once was mine…  _

They say that life grew from the sundrop, and they say just a few miles from its resting place was where Warnerstock sprouted. A beautiful, flourishing kingdom, ruled by a benevolent and beloved royal family. It was a few hundred years into the kingdom’s history, however, that danger befell the royal family. 

At first, it seemed to be a joyous occasion, as Queen Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fana Bobesca the Second announced that she was pregnant with her third child; her and the good King William had two sons already, though they hadn’t been in public much due to their young age. They were known, though, and had been seen peeping through castle walls on occasion- the oldest, and heir of the throne, was Yakko, and his younger brother was little Wakko, who apparently learned to walk and run quite early in order to better follow his brother around. 

But then rumors spread, late into the Queen’s pregnancy. Too many doctors were coming in and out of the palace- but, no, lots of people came and went; just the other week the castle was flooded with historians, and the month before it was chefs. It wouldn’t be a worry… but then servants began whispering. The Queen and her youngest son were ill, deathly ill. And no doctors could figure out the cure. 

Eventually, someone spotted King William and baby Wakko wandering the gardens, and figured that the rumors must be false. But eventually the story came out- Wakko had recovered, but the Queen had not. The disease was unknown, but definitely deadly, sapping her strength away. She was growing worse and worse every day, and didn’t have much time left. Her and her unborn child would not be expected to survive. 

This came at great distress to the kingdom, for multiple reasons- for one, they loved their Queen, who was always fair and generous and thought of her people before herself. And for another… well, other kingdoms hearing this might think now an opportune time to strike, with the royal heir dying and her family either grieving or too young to fight back. And as for the royal family themselves- it’s said that Yakko was distraught, inconsolable by anyone, and that he’d hide in his room screaming at the walls and begging for his mother, and that William himself spent most of his time by his wife’s bedside, trying to find a way to help her. 

And for months, the King gave one order to the entire castle guard: search for the sundrop. 

He and his wife had always believed the tale of the sundrop, and now they believed that it could hold the power to cure her, to save her and their child. It was their last hope. They were running out of time, and it was time to look for a miracle, an answer to their wish. 

The flower had been hidden for years, but the guardian, a mysterious woman who had used its magic to stay young, was not used to people coming around anymore. So all it took was a slight scare- her hearing footsteps, and confusion and shock overwhelming her- and she knocked aside the bush covering with her lantern while fleeing, not wanting to be caught hiding such magic. But then the flower was in plain view for the knights to spot, and it wasn’t hard for them; its glow, bright like the sun it came from, shone through the night. 

It was uprooted and taken to the castle, the knights rushing as fast as they could, not noticing the woman ducking beneath the bushes, slowly following their trail. They made it to the castle, and with no time to spare, and nobody in the castle knowing the healing song, the flower was put into a bowl of water and delivered to the queen. 

And the kingdom waited in anticipation, to hear whether or not magic had prevailed. 

Yakko hung back in the doorway, staring at the wall across from him. Wakko, who had been following him by holding onto his tail, skidded to a stop, and then leaned against his older brother’s back, not sure why they’d stopped. 

Their father knelt down in front of them. “Hey. Hey, it’s okay.” 

Yakko shook his head, holding his hands together and blinking back tears. 

“It’s alright, really. I’ll be right here, okay?” 

He held out a hand for Yakko. Slowly, he took it, noticing for the first time how small his hand was compared to his father’s. Slowly, he followed his father past the doorway, as Wakko toddled behind them. He peered inside, and then immediately brightened, letting go of his dad and racing ahead. 

_ “Mama!”  _

Angel smiled and laughed as her oldest son came running to her bedside, and as he clambered up the sheets, staring at her in shock, disbelieving that she was there. Then he threw himself against her chest, hugging her and sobbing. He tried to ramble something or another, but the words kept coming out garbled and mixed-up, a sensation he wasn’t used to and didn’t like. After a moment, Angel pushed him away just enough that she could look at his face, and she wiped his tears with her hand, smiling softly. “Hey,” she said, her voice no longer broken and weak, “It’s alright. It’s alright, mama’s right here.” 

“Mama!” they could hear Wakko call, and they turned just as William lifted the toddler up and placed him beside Yakko. Wakko, who’d honestly been too young to know what was going on, only really processed that he hadn’t seen his mother for a while, and now she was right here, so of course he was happy. 

She smiled and hugged him too as Yakko scooted away slightly, and then she said, “Oh, boys, did you miss me?” 

“Course we did.” Yakko said in his small voice. 

Angel grinned again, shared a look with her husband, and then said, “Now… do you two want to meet your sister?” 

She sat up and picked up Wakko, before scooting them to the edge of the bed, where Yakko sat beside them and peered over. On the other side of her bed was a small, decorated crib, and inside was a small, golden-furred, and undeniably  _ cute _ baby. 

“She was just born.” Angel whispered, “So we gotta be quiet. We don’t want to wake her.” 

Yakko stared down in awe, eyes wide. “She’s okay?” 

“She’s perfect.” Angel assured him. 

Yakko smiled again, and said, “I’mma be the best big brother ever, for her and Wakko! I’m gonna teach her how to walk and talk and sing and pull an anvil outta-”

“Now,” William laughed behind him, ruffling his fur, “It’ll be a while before she can do any of that.” 

“But I’ll be good! And I’ll love her so so so much!” 

Wakko, meanwhile, glanced down at the new baby, and frowned, sticking his tongue out. Finally, he said, “No.” 

“No?” 

“No baby. No, thank you.” 

The baby grew strong and healthy, and soon was as happy and bouncy as an infant count be. When she was a few months old, the King and Queen celebrated her naming ceremony by launching a flying lantern into the sky. There, Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fana Bobesca the Third was first presented to the public, held in her father’s arms on the castle balcony. Yakko leaned over the railing, staring down at the light flying above him, while Wakko rested, nearly asleep on their mother’s shoulder as the crowd cheered below. With their free hands, the King and Queen lifted the lantern, decorated with the image of the sun that had brought life to their youngest child. 

And when the lantern had floated and disappeared from view, the royal family returned inside, and the princess was placed down on the carpet. She saw her brothers, and her eyes lit up as she reached out her hands for them. Yakko hesitated, but Wakko quickly toddled over and grabbed her tiny palm, before giving her a lick on the face, his way of showing affection. Yakko smiled and kneeled in front of her. 

“Did you see that, Angie?” he said. “They all love ya! They’re gonna love ya forever, cause you’re gonna be the bestest princess this kingdom’s ever had!” 

The princess simply laughed with joy, and then collapsed on him in an attempt to eat his overalls. 

The moment was perfect. 

But the moment didn’t last. 

Wakko was only about eighteen months old, and he had a small bed in the corner of his big brother’s room. He liked this, he liked being able to cry for his brother when he was scared of something at night, and he liked being able to play with him once their parents thought they were asleep. But Yakko was pretty bad about food in the room, he had a temporary fear of bugs that he wouldn’t grow out of for the next three years and thus didn’t want anything attracting them. So when Wakko awoke that night, hungry, he had to slide out of bed and toddle to the door, hoping that someone was in the hall he could ask. He’d never go out on his own- he may have been a toddler, but even he knew he’d easily get lost, and he might even- he shuddered to even think of it- fall down the  _ stairs.  _ He’d much rather wait until someone passed by in the hall and ask for a cookie, please. 

He creaked the door open, hearing some kind of distant conversation in the far distance. Good, maybe they would come his way. He sat outside the door, against the wall, fiddling with his feet and bouncing his tail and wondering what was happening. 

The voices got louder, and Wakko realized that people were yelling. Mama always said it was rude to yell unless you really needed to. Maybe someone had a bad dream? No, adults didn’t get bad dreams. Maybe everyone was hungry. 

It took him a second to process what happened next, but in a flash, a cloaked figure had burst past him, rushing down the hall. He blinked, confused, and looked after her. There was something in her arms, and he stood up and tried to toddle after her. 

Then he heard the baby cry, and he knew what the woman was holding, and he felt very, very scared. 

“Baby?” 

He started toddling faster, but then guards were rushing past him, still yelling, and it was  _ so loud,  _ and none of them saw little Wakko beneath their feet. He tugged on his ears and backed against the wall, and started to wail. 

“Wakko!” 

The door flung open as Yakko raced out, terror in his eyes. He saw his brother against the wall and froze over, confused at what to do. At that, their parents raced in, and as their mother ran ahead, William picked up both boys and raced them somewhere else. Wakko wasn’t sure where, only that it was dark and cold, and a loud bell began to ring and it hurt his ears even worse. He pulled his hat over his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see them all look sad, and tugged on his ears so he wouldn’t hear the crying and shouting and ringing, and wished very, very much that he was still sleeping and that he’d wake up soon. 

Nobody knew how the old woman got into the castle; they’d only realized someone had broken in when the princess’s cries began echoing through the halls. And then, just like that, she was gone. 

The kingdom searched and searched, as years pressed on, but the child was nowhere to be found. Rewards were offered, even spread to other kingdoms, but no trace of the Warner child with fur as gold as sunlight was to be found, for she was kept well hidden. 

Deep within the forest, behind a wall, covered by hanging leaves that resembled moss so much that nobody would think to push them aside, lay a meadow, and in the meadow lay an abandoned water tower. It was fixed up just enough to be livable, and within the tower, the child was raised. 

_ “Heal what has been hurt,” _ she had been able to sing as long as she could remember, it was the first thing she’d learned,  _ “Change the fate’s design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine…”  _

As the song finished, her hair dimmed, but its glow had done its work. The wrinkles on her captor’s hands faded, and the woman breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Can I go outside now?” the little girl asked, blinking with curiosity. 

“The outside world is a dangerous place, filled with horrible, selfish people. You must stay here, where you’re safe. Do you understand, flower?” 

“Yes, mommy.” 

But the walls of the tower could not hide everything. For each year, on the lost princess’s birthday, the sky was lit as if it was day. The King and Queen had begun it on her first birthday, hoping that one day, she would see the lanterns and follow them home. The whole kingdom joined in, and so once a year, thousands of lanterns filled the night. 

The tenth celebration was to happen just a few months after the news came that the King and Queen had died. But their eldest son, who would be crowned King when he turned fifteen, swore that they’d continue the tradition, as their parents had before them. 

All in hope that one day their lost princess would return. 

And every year, Dot snuck past her “mother” and stared out the window at the lanterns, wondering if they were for her. 


	2. The Water Tower

**CHAPTER TWO - THE WATER TOWER**

Cats are particularly good at keeping balance, even on the smallest surfaces. So as the gray cat walked along the railing of the water tower, she didn’t have much fear. She placed one paw in front of the other, creeping ever so silently at a bird that perched on the rail, singing blissfully due to its unawareness of the predator behind it. The cat got to a reasonable distance, and crouched, wriggling slightly and lifting her tail. Then, just as she pounced… 

A change in the wind caused the bird to lift off, and the cat missed her mark by several inches. Her paw hit the rail, and she began to fall backwards. She let out a yowl, and then… 

With a _snap,_ a strand of fur wrapped around her leg. She hissed at the sudden grab, and then groaned as she remained upside-down, swinging back and forth in the air. 

Slowly, she was pulled back up, and then came face-to-face with young Dot. 

“Hell- _ooo,_ kitty!” she smirked. “That’s another one you owe me.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” the cat groaned, rolling her eyes, “Now let me down before all the blood rushes to my head and you kill me.” 

“Please, Rita,” said Dot, stepping back and letting the cat down onto the balcony, before beginning to untie the lock of fur from around her leg, “If I wanted to kill you, I could do it a lot quicker.” 

“I’m aware, sweetie. I still have a bump on my head from when you whacked me with a frying pan when I first showed up.” 

“So you think frying pans are still a good defense system?” 

“Can’t see why not.” 

Dot finished untying her hair, and as Rita scampered free, she tossed it back. While all her fur was a shining gold, the amount that sprang from her head was long enough that as it fell over the balcony, it almost touched the grass below. Her hair was about thirty feet, she’d counted last that morning, and only growing more by the day. 

“So.” Dot said, putting a hand on her knee, “What d’ya wanna do now? Hide and seek?” 

“Not much room to hide in that tower o’ yours.” Rita rolled her eyes. “Maybe if we went down a bit-” 

“Nuh-uh.” Dot shook her head. 

“What, are you following the rules now? What about the ‘no animals inside the tower’ rule?” 

“That’s different. Come on, Riri.” Dot whined, pushing her floppy ears out of her face and pulling her best puppy-eyes. “There’s _tons_ to do inside.” 

“Ugh. What’d you have in mind?” 

“Well.” Dot clapped her hands together. “Let’s get chores outta the way, so then we can do something _fun fun fun!”_

“Great.” 

Dot raced back in the tower, holding the swinging door open for her cat, and then did her best to race around and get the morning’s chores done. 

It wasn’t a huge tower, but Dot didn’t think it was _too_ small, really. Sure, she was running out of room on the walls to paint, but that wasn’t the only thing she could do. She swung her hair up to wrap around the lever for the skylight, pulling down so that they could see a bit better. And then the first chore was sweeping the floor- she had to pile her hair on a table for that. Then polish, wax, laundry, mopping, and then… 

“It’s been fifteen minutes.” Rita observed, as Dot groaned. “Didn’t kill that much time.” 

“Uh…” Dot considered. “That’s good! More time for fun! Come on, we got books!” 

“You’ve read those about a hundred times.” 

Dot did race over to the small shelf, rifling through books. Science, botany, astronomy, astrology… there! Fairytales. She pulled out the book and flipped to the first page. “Now. There’s this princess, in a coma-” 

“You read me that one.” 

“Cheer up a bit! I’ll tell it different this time, with new voices.” 

“Mmth, sure.” 

And then when the story was done, Dot ran to the violin she’d been gifted last birthday, practicing until her fingers were sore. She tried to sew a new skirt, but her fingers still hurt from the violin, so she made some cookies in the small oven, sharing half with Rita, who was amusing herself by trying to find a decent box to lay in. By the time she found one, it was a puzzle box, one that Dot emptied in an attempt to put the pieces together- but she’d done it so many times, it wasn’t hard anymore. Then she tried to dance, which only succeeded in getting her tangled up in her own fur, and Rita had to help her roll out. 

All of that happened in less than an hour. 

“Um…” Dot looked through the books again. “There’s gotta be something. Uh… let’s paint!” 

She grabbed her painting tools from the dresser, and then turned and scanned the walls. “Okay. Okay, there’s gotta be a blank spot somewhere.” 

“I dunno, kid. You put our star chart on the roof the other day, so I don’t think…” 

“Oh! Oh, there we go!” Dot gestured upwards, pointing to a long block of wood, leaning against a rafter. “There’s space behind there. Here, Imma go up, you catch up and tell me what you think.” 

She lassoed her hair, swung it a few times for extra measure, did a few stunts around it, and then threw it until it wrapped around a high beam. She tugged to ensure it would stay a moment, and then began to climb up, holding her palette in her mouth and wrapping an ear around her paintbrush. 

“Kid, you know I ain’t a fan of heights.” 

“I dunno, you seem to be a fan of heights while chasing birds.” 

“It works out if I don’t look down.” 

“Then don’t look down!” 

Dot made it to the rafter and kicked the piece of wood away. Rita yowled as it clattered to the floor beside her. “Watch where you’re kickin that thing!” 

“Get on up here, I need my art critic!” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Rita sighed. She hopped atop a desk, glancing at the childish doodle of a flower that Dot had done when she was about three. She jumped up onto a low perch, taking a deep breath and regaining her balance, flicking her tail against the first painting of Rita that Dot had done- one that, thankfully, her Mom had never asked about. She leapt to another perch, smiling a little at the multitude of dresses painted in a line beside her; though, on the next perch, she stopped, a bit concerned. 

“Yo, Dot?” 

“Yeah?” 

“What’s _this?”_

Dot glanced over, already halfway through her background- great Spielberg, that kid worked fast- and laughed. “Oh, that’s a hot guy I saw in a magazine Mother brought last month.” 

“Uh-huh.” Rita nodded, glancing over the illustration. “Alright. That’s not concerning.” 

She kept climbing, making her way past doodles and doodles. Finally, she reached the rafters, and she took the time to glance up at the star chart, remembering how long it took them to plan that out, and then she leapt from beam to beam until she was at Dot’s feet. “Well, what’ve we got?” 

She looked up, and then sighed. 

Dot had painted the night sky, a forest beneath it. And as Rita watched, Dot painted the yearly birthday lights, getting bigger the higher they got in the sky, shining and moving in a sort-of circle. 

Dot stepped back a moment, and Rita swore she could see a reflection of those lights in Dot’s eyes, even though they wouldn’t come until tomorrow night. 

“What do you think?” Dot asked quietly. 

Rita hesitated, and then said, “I think it needs a lil something.” 

“What?” 

“How about…” Rita got on her hind paws, and then placed a foot at the top of a large tree. “Right up there? Watching the sky?” 

Dot took a deep breath, and then nodded. Rita curled up, and Dot leaned over her to sketch a small girl of indeterminable species, fur gold as the sun and stretching out of frame, looking up at the twinkling sky above. 

When she was finished, they looked to each other, and then Dot said, “Okay, tonight. I’ll ask her tonight.” 

_“Wakko Warner!”_

Wakko tore down the hall, laughing as he heard a collision behind him- someone had clearly thrown open a door and tried to leave without checking first to make sure the younger prince wasn’t running wild, with at least three guards racing after him. His tail wagged furiously as he dashed around a corner, angered shouts behind him but getting more distant with every step he took. 

The guards were well aware that the younger Warner brother would make a ruckus when he didn’t want to do a lesson or a chore, but it was more out of boredom than genuine malice, so they didn’t hold it against him. Which was good, because Wakko did this a _lot._

He heard pursuit from another hall, so he raced in the opposite direction, hoping that he’d lose them at _this_ fork. “‘cuse me!” he called, rushing inbetween maids, carrying baskets of linens that needed cleaned. “Sorry! Coming through!” 

“In trouble again, Wakko?” asked one of the women, raising an eyebrow. 

“Only if I get caught!” Wakko waved with one hand, using the other to keep the bottom of his sweater held up. He then heard the shouts of the guards- crap, they were getting closer than he thought. He turned another bend… 

...and ran right into Yakko. 

He slid to a stop just before the collision, and Yakko leapt back, and they stared at each other for a moment. Then, upon hearing the footsteps down the hall, Yakko sighed, grabbed Wakko’s arm, and dragged him along after him. Wakko paused, and then grinned and let out a laugh as Yakko bounced them from wall to wall, gaining speed as they _boinged_ along, and eventually stopped them in front of an unlocked door. He kicked it open, and then gestured for Wakko to enter first, bowing low enough that Wakko was unable to hide his giggles. He raced inside, with Yakko following and kicking the door shut. 

They waited until the footsteps passed, and then Yakko sighed, sat on the carpet and said, “What’d you do?” 

Wakko took a second to take in the room; since he’d gotten his own bedroom, he hadn’t been in Yakko’s much. There were lots of books and maps, stuff that Wakko would find boring but he knew his brother thought was the coolest thing in the world. It was all neat and tidy, the opposite of Wakko’s room of course, though it was a little cold, probably because Yakko never thought to light the fireplace. He’d said something about being worried his maps would fall from the wall and end up setting on fire, which was just about the last thing he wanted. 

“Wakk? What’d you do?” 

Wakko giggled and sat across from his brother, before letting go of the bottom of his shirt. Out from that makeshift pocket came several freshly-baked bread rolls, straight from the kitchen. 

Yakko sighed, and smiled, and then did his best imitation of a scolding. “Now, Wakko. You could have just _asked_ for those.” 

“There were _tons._ And they were busy!” 

“Sure, sure. Now toss one over.” 

Wakko’s tail practically thumped against the ground, happy to actually have some kind of meal with his brother. “You haven’t got a lesson right now?” 

“Naw, I always have time for my baby bro!” Yakko reached to ruffle his fur, stopped when he realized that his hat covered his head, and then shrugged and ruffled the hat. Wakko laughed again, and Yakko snagged a roll before saying, “So, what’d they want you to do today?” 

_“Math.”_

“Math, ah. The enemy of the state.” 

“You know, in a year you can outlaw math.” 

_“Uuuuuuuuuuuuhhhh,_ don’t think that’d be a good idea, buddy.” 

“Can you at least tell the teachers to go away?” 

“Wakko, you know you gotta learn things.” 

“Why?” 

Yakko was halfway through the roll, but he stopped a moment, glancing at the carpet, before he swallowed and answered, “You know. In case something happens to me.” 

Wakko felt a jolt, and then shoved it aside, shoving three rolls in his mouth at once and saying, “What’s gonna happen to you in here? You gonna trip over a carpet?” 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” 

“Seriously, though! It’s not like we go outside.” Wakko hesitated, and then said, “Speaking of things you can change when you’re King-” 

“Wakko…” Yakko hugged his knees, watching his brother carefully. “You know why we’re in here.” 

Wakko bit his lip. “I- I know, but… it’s been ten years, yeah? We should be fine.” 

“We can’t take that chance. Not after Mom and Dad…” 

They fell silent, and then Wakko muttered, “They could still come back.” 

“They… Wakko, you know their ship went down.” 

“But they never found- they could’ve gotten on a lifeboat, or swum to safety, and now they’re living in a treehouse in the jungle waiting for us to come find em.” 

Yakko smiled a little, but shook his head. “Wakk… I know you wanna hold out hope. But I don’t want you to… to keep waiting for something that’s not gonna come.” 

Wakko’s ears dropped, and he let out a low whine. Yakko bit his lip, and then wrapped a careful arm around him. “I miss em, too.” 

Wakko leaned on his brother’s shoulder, and they fell into an uneasy silence for a moment. Then Yakko said, “Alrighty, bud, let’s finish eating these before they catch and confiscate them. I’ve got a teacher to drive mad at 10:00, and I’m pretty sure you’ve got one of your own at 10:30.” 

Wakko bit his lip and nodded, before pulling away. “Wanna see how many of these I can eat at once?” 

“No, leave me some!” 

“See how fast you can grab em, then!” 

_“Wakko, come on!”_

When Wakko eventually wandered back out of his brother’s room, he glanced at the clock, and then ducked down the halls, picking up speed as he moved. If he hurried, he could finish up before class… 

When he got to the right hall, he stopped a moment, before brushing crumbs off of his shirt, and fixing his hat. He knelt in front of the door and pulled a hairpin from inside his hat, picking the lock until he heard that satisfying _click,_ as he’d done almost every day for the last year or so. He slid the door open, then crept in and shut it before anyone could see him. He breathed in, and then set to work. 

He dusted the desk, and swept the floor and cleaned the windows so the sun could shine through the glass, and then fluffed the curtains and re-hung them, in case the room didn’t want some light after all. He cleaned through the bookshelf, and then re-hung the portraits so that they weren’t crooked, and made sure the floorboards weren’t creaking, or he’d have to repair them and he wasn’t very good at that yet- he’d have to get some practice in next time he didn’t have something to do. Then he turned and remade the blankets on the crib, making sure it was neater than his bed ever was. 

He wasn’t as good as mother was, but someone had to keep his sister’s room clean while she was gone. 

As he finished up, he glanced up at the mobile, still hanging above her bed. He swallowed more than one feeling as he started its spin, a soft melody that he recognized creaking out of the old machinery. In the center of the mobile was the Warnerstock Sun; Father had painted it himself, wanting his daughter to be able to look up and see the magic in the world that had given her to them, or something sappy like that. Wakko couldn’t remember the exact wording, and now he couldn’t ask. 

He let the music play on, bit his lip, and kept cleaning until the alarms went off. 


	3. Mother Knows Best

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all- I love you all so much for commenting! It truly does make me feel loved, and I'm so excited you all are enjoying this!
> 
> Second, I saw some questions about other Disney movie references, and then answer is "yes," I am gonna have a lot of other recent fairytale adaptation references throughout the fic. Last chapter had Frozen (though that was more a gateway to a joke about the 2014 Frozen/Tangled/Tarzan theory), Aladdin and the non-Disney Shrek musical. Glad y'all noticed! :D
> 
> ~ Midas

**CHAPTER THREE - MOTHER KNOWS BEST**

_ “Dottie! Let down your hair!”  _

“It’s just Dot, Mother!” Dot bit back a groan as she called down the tower. She turned and lifted Rita in her arms, before opening the farthest pantry, letting her jump onto the top shelf. “Okay, stay there til she’s gone, alright?” 

“When do I not?” 

“You jumped out to try and steal food the other day.” 

“Yeah, yeah…” 

Dot shut the pantry doors, and took a deep breath. “Okay,” she whispered to herself. “Today’s the day.” 

_ “Dottie, darling! I’m not getting any younger down here!”  _

Dot shook off the dreaded nickname and then raced to the balcony, tossing her hair over a hook by the door. It tumbled down the tower, and she felt her mother grab on to the end and give a tug. She then started pulling her hair up, straining under the added weight but doing a pretty good job if she did say so herself. 

Her mother reached the balcony, climbing off onto the edge, and Dot stepped back, spreading her arms wide. “Welcome home, Mother!” 

At that, Nora Rita Norita groaned and stepped inside the tower, kicking the door shut behind her and throwing her hood off. “Oh, Dottie, Dottie,” she went over to the young girl and gave her a quick pat on the head. “How you manage to do that  _ every single day _ is completely beyond me! Looks absolutely exhausting.” 

“Oh, it’s nothing!” 

“Then I don’t know why you take so long.” Dot’s face fell, and Norita laughed. “Just teasing, darling! Good workout, though. Speaking of which.” Norita did a few stretches herself, before saying, “Must be sure to stay fit. We’re gonna hit that singularity this year, right?” 

Dot, who still wasn’t sure what the singularity was, let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah. Yeah. So, Mother, as you know, tomorrow is a real big-” 

“Hold on a second.” Norita sighed, going over to her shelf. “Dottie, darling, how many times have I told you these must be kept in  _ alphabetical  _ order? We can’t have a disordered household.” 

“I can find em easier if we organize by color.” Dot protested. “Also, Mother, I told you, I’m not a huge fan of ‘Dottie,’ it sounds-” 

“Of course, Dottie, darling. Ugh, you keep this place a  _ mess.  _ Don’t you do any cleaning while I’m gone?” 

“Every morning and afternoon, promise! But Mother-” 

Norita moved to the kitchen. “Did you make cookies? You know you’re going to spoil your dinner.” 

Dot swung over to the area on her hair. “Look, it was just-” 

“I’m just teasing, of course.” 

“Mother-” 

“Dottie, mother’s feeling a little under the weather today.” Norita turned, making some kind of yawn and pushing a graying hair behind her ear. “How about you sing for me, and then we’ll talk?” 

“Oh! Oh, of course, Mother!” 

Dot wasted no time, not wanting her courage to run out. She lassoed Norita’s favorite chair, pulling it ot the center of the room, before loosening her hair and rushing for the stool. Norita was still getting over there when she placed the stool, so she very helpfully tripped her mother into the chair, pushing her down, before plopping on the stool herself, shoving a hairbrush into her mother’s hands, bouncing her legs and then starting to sing at the speed of light. 

_ “Flowergleamandglow, letyourpowershine, maketheclockreverse, bringbackwhatoncewasmine!”  _

Her fur lit up, power coursing through it at the incantation. Norita looked a bit anxious, and started to brush as fast as she could, trying to get a few strokes into the fur, as if Dot hadn’t brushed it twice that day already. 

_ “Healwhathasbeenhurt, changethefate’sdesign, savewhathasbeenlost, bringbackwhatoncewasmine!” _

_ “Dottie!” _ Norita huffed, as her fur dimmed and the power lessened. Already she looked a lot better, but that wasn’t what Dot was thinking about at the moment. 

_ “So, Mother!”  _ Dot leaned up, getting almost in her mother’s face, bouncing and wagging her tail. “Mommy dearest, dear mama,  _ mater savis,  _ mami, mum, ma, matriarch of the family, female parental unit, materfamilias, birth-giver…” 

“Dottie.” 

“So, earlier I was telling you that tomorrow’s a  _ pretty big day  _ and you didn’t really respond so I’m gonna just spell it out for you, it’s my  _ birthday! Yay!”  _

Norita blinked at her for a solid minute, before laughing. “No, no, darling. I distinctly remember. Your birthday was last year.” 

Dot paused a moment, trying to figure out if she was teasing or not, before lightly saying, “Well, haha, you know, birthdays… they come once a year!” 

“Mm-hmm. Well, darling, marvelous history lesson. I’ll be sure to get you a new book on it. Now-” 

Norita tried to stand, and Dot sat her back down, leaping on her lap.

“I’m turning  _ ten, _ mama!” she said, fluttering her eyelashes to try to look cuter. “Ten! One whole decade!  _ Double digits!” _ She elongated the last two words, grabbing onto her mother’s neck and flopping over dramatically. “I’m practically  _ retiring age!”  _

“Uh-huh, is this going anywhere?” 

“Yes!” Dot sat back up and bounced a little. 

“Don’t jump like that, darling, stay still. You know how I feel about you jumping around everywhere, it’s childish.” 

Dot bit her lip, and then spat out, “I want to see the floating lights!” 

There was a tense silence for a moment, and then Norita picked Dot up, removing her from her lap and placing her firmly back on her stool. She laughed, a bit nervously. “The what? Darling, you’ve had too much sugar.”

“No, no, it’s…” Dot looped her hair around a beam, swung up high into the rafters, and then gestured to her recent painting. “I wanna go  _ see  _ the floating lights!” 

Norita glanced up for only a moment, before saying, “Darling, those are stars. I’ve told you what stars are.” 

“Now, see,  _ there’s _ the whole thing.” Dot swung up to another beam, poking at a section of the roof. “I’ve charted stars. Right here! Thing is, they’re  _ always _ constant. But these?”

She swung back down, unhooking her hair from the rafters before emphasizing, “These appear on my birthday, Mother, and  _ only _ on my birthday. Pretty freaking weird, huh? And I feel like- like they’re meant for me, I mean, what are the odds it’s  _ just _ my birthday? It’s magic, and  _ I’m  _ magic, so I wanna go see them, and not just from the window, I wanna go see them  _ in person! _ I have to  _ know _ what they are!” 

Norita turned, and then sighed, walking over and condescendingly patting Dot on the head. “Dottie, dear, you want to go outside?” 

“Please, mama, don’t call me-” 

“Darling, look at you. You’re tiny, you’re a fragile little flower.” She walked away slightly, keeping her hands on Dot’s elongated fur. “You’re a baby.” 

“Okay, but I think I’m-” 

“You know why we’re in here.” 

“I know, but-” 

“That’s right!” Norita then gave her a tap on the nose. “To keep you safe.” 

“But-” 

“I should’ve known you’d say something like this soon.” Norita sighed. “Birds leaving their nests and all. But look at you, sweetheart. Not yet. Trust me, it’s for the best.” 

“Mother-” 

“Look, I know how the world works. Something’ll go wrong! You know what’s out there? Ruffians and thugs!” 

Dot gripped onto her hair with nervousness. “Um…” 

“Poison Ivy, quicksand, cannibals, snakes, the plague! You’re under quarantine, miss. Oh, and  _ huge _ bugs!” 

“Mama!” 

“You’re right, I’ll just upset myself. But I guess,” Nortia gave a dramatic sigh, “My thoughts don’t mean  _ anything  _ to you. I only bathed and changed and nursed you, only fed you all these years, come to the tower  _ every day-”  _

“No, no, that’s not what I-” 

“Take it from me, Dottie.” Norita bent over, pushing her gently to the side, then smirking as Dot stumbled to regain her balance. “You’re not gonna make it out there. Look at you. You’re the shortest thing I’ve ever seen.” 

“I’m getting bigger!” 

“That’s not all, dear. You’re sloppy, going to attract bugs with how little you clean around here. And that’s not all! You can’t survive on your own like this- you’re under-dressed! Didn’t I tell you to put on a shirt?” 

“Shirts itch, mother…” 

“See, there’s that immaturity.” Norita yanked on Dot’s fur, and Dot stumbled again. “Clumsy. Gullible, naive- you know I’m only saying this cause I love you, right?” 

Dot bit her lip, glancing down at the ground. 

“Oh, Mummy understands. I was a little rebel in my youth, too. I’m just here to help you.” 

Norita turned, and then extended her arms. Excited, Dot leapt over to her, wrapping her arms around her neck and giving her a kiss. Norita huffed, wiping it off her cheek, and then said, “I just have one request, darling.” 

“Yes, Mother?” 

Norita looked her dead in the eye. “Don’t ever ask to leave this tower again.” 

Dot paused, her heart sinking to the ground below. Then, she finally looked down and mumbled, “Yes, mother.” 

Norita sighed, and lifted the girl’s chin up. “I love you very much, dear.” 

“I love you more!” 

“I love you most.” Then Norita dropped her onto the floor and said, “Now, I better go get your lunch. Town’s not very close, you know. Why don’t you let me down?” 

Dot tried not to look too disappointed. “Of course.” 

“I’ll be right back.” 

“And I’ll be… right here.” 

Dot let down her hair, and Norita went down. Dot leaned against the railing, watching until she disappeared through the hole in the hollow’s wall, and then waiting a little longer, as her hair blew in the breeze. Sometimes, she’d just come outside to watch the sky, or feel the sun, or wish that one of those distant blades of grass would come loose and blow up to her. It made her feel like she wasn’t trapped anywhere. Maybe, one day, she could feel that grass, or those flowers, beneath her feet, and she’d know that she was finally free. 

_ Not yet.  _

Dot shut her eyes, and muttered to herself, “I’ve got mother. I have a house. And a cat. I’m safe. Why should I ask for more?” 

And with that, she started to cry. 


	4. The Crown

**CHAPTER FOUR - THE CROWN**

“And  _ there _ it is, Pinky. Our key to conquering the world!” 

“Narf!” 

If you were to visit the Warnerstock Palace, you might think it was odd that two small mice in ragged clothing had just removed a piece of the castle skylight, and were now tying a rope to a nearby chimney so that they could bungee their way down. That was because this  _ was _ odd, and not at all a normal occurrence, but that tended to happen around Pinky and the Brain. 

“At last, Pinky,” Brain monologued, “Success is in our grasp! This time we shall definitely succeed!” 

“Oh, good, Brain!” Pinky nodded, laughing genuinely. “I was worried this would go like our last plan, with the whole ‘wand’ thing!” 

“Yes, that was unfortunate. But, I did not remain a cheese.” 

“And then the haunted woods, that went pretty badly.” 

“That one was not our fault, technically.” 

“Oh! And that whole ‘stallion’ thing-” 

Brain reached over and grabbed Pinky’s snout, shutting his mouth. “Quiet, Pinky, or I shall have to hurt you.” 

Pinky nodded and giggled. Brain released him, and said, “Now, listen closely. Do you know what is down there?” 

Pinky glanced through the skylight. “Erm… lots of pointy heads.” 

“Those are guards, Pinky. And what are they surrounding?” 

“Oh! Something shiny!”

“Yes. That ‘something shiny,’ as you refer to it, is the crown of the Lost Princess, encrusted with jewels from all discovered kingdoms. It is heavily guarded in every direction- except above.” 

“Narf!” 

“Each jewel on that crown is worth a fortune on its own, but added together, it will fund enough money for our newest project- constructing a large enough trebuchet to launch the kingdom into the sea, and once we are an isolated island, the ensuing panic will result in me being elected leader. With that, we will then lead the navy to- are you listening?” 

Pinky, staring into space, nodded. “Poit!” 

“You were not, but no matter. Here’s what you need to know: I will be lowering you down on a rope, because I don’t trust you to hold it.” 

“That’s fair.” 

“All you have to do is remain  _ perfectly silent, _ and once you are close enough, grab the crown. I will then lift you up through the skylight, and we will escape without detection. Understood?” 

“Poit!” 

“Alright.” Brain walked behind Pinky, before tying the rope around him like a harness. “Does that feel secure?” 

“It feels like a great warm hug, Brain!” 

“I will take that as a ‘yes.’ Now, remember, complete silence is necessary.” 

“Got it, Brain!” Pinky made a motion of zipping his lips, and then gave a thumbs-up. Brain nodded, and then began lowering Pinky through the hole in the skylight. 

Pinky, for his part, had to try very hard not to cheer with joy while descending; it felt like a fun swing! He did giggle a little, but thankfully quiet enough that the guards did not notice. It took quite a minute to lower him from the high ceiling in a way quiet enough that the guards wouldn’t notice, and Pinky was starting to kick his legs to entertain himself which made holding onto the rope a bit of a struggle. 

Finally, Pinky was low enough to reach the tiara, and he took a moment to pull a face, watching his distorted reflection in the gems. Brain gave the rope a bit of a tug, and Pinky managed to grab hold of the lower band. 

Beside him, a guard sneezed. Pinky, very polite, said, “Oh, gesundheit.  _ Narf!” _

“Thank you.” the guard said instinctively. Then, after he beat, he turned to see one mouse being, very hastily, yanked up through a skylight, crown in hand. 

As soon as Pinky reached the roof, the alarms had gone off, and Brain grabbed one end of the crown, rushing off and gesturing for Pinky to simply follow his lead while holding onto his end of the crown, and shouting, “Pinky, you imbecile! Why would you say that?” 

“Well, it’s only nice, Brain.” 

“Now all the guards will be on our tails!” 

“Well I sure hope not, I’m not good at using my tail to pull things.” 

_ “Pinky, if we were not running for our lives right now, I would hit you with this crown!”  _

Wakko heard the alarms, and instantly went into panic mode. 

He raced out of his sister’s room, forgetting to lock the door behind him, and instead he ran for the first open room he could find, one large enough that he could easily be spotted. He eventually made his way down a stairwell and into the ballroom, and once he was inside, he dropped against the wall, tugging on his ears and wishing that bell would quiet down. He knew that shouldn’t be his main worry right now, considering that bell only went off for very specific emergencies, but really, it  _ was _ so loud, he couldn’t hear a thing and it made his head  _ ache. _ He shook and tugged his ears some more, as footsteps pounded outside and shouts got louder and  _ why couldn’t everyone just be quiet?  _

He only remembered the alarm bell going off thrice in his life- the first time, he only barely recalled, he’d been in the emergency cellar with his hat pulled over his eyes while his sister… honestly, Yakko remembered more about that than he did. The second time, he’d been a bit careless and forgotten to tell someone he was in the garden, and he’d gotten quite the scolding once they realized he hadn’t been kidnapped. The third, he’d gotten stuck in the cupboard and nobody could find him and they, once again, thought he’d been abducted. He wished they’d stop thinking that- even when the bell didn’t go off, when he wandered somewhere and forgot an appointment and got a scolding from out-of-breath attendees or… why couldn’t they consider he was using the bathroom or napping in his room or just wanted to be left alone and  _ then maybe they wouldn’t have to ring that bell!  _

It seemed that every time the bell went off, it got even worse, or maybe he’d just forgotten how bad it could be. How it clanged in his head, bursting through his ears, screaming at him that horrors were here and they were coming for him and… 

“Wakko! Wakko, vat are you doing here?” 

_ Everyone shut up! Make the alarm stop!  _

“Wakko, Wakko, look at me! Look up at me!” 

Wakko glanced up, tears at the edge of his eyes. Kneeling in front of him was Dr Scratchansniff, one of the council members. He reached out and put a hand on Wakko’s shoulder. “Wakko, calm down. Are you alright?” 

Wakko shook his head, unable to speak, tugging on his ears harder. 

“Can I pick you up? We were vorried.” 

Wakko shook his head. This alarm better not be about him again, he couldn’t take it, he couldn’t have someone yell at him for this. 

“Wakko, I’ll be right back, I’m going to let zem know you’re in here, and zen we’ll go to the cellar, ya?” 

Wakko nodded slightly, wrapping in on himself and shaking. He stayed there for a while, rocking back and forth, until Scratchansniff returned. “Wakko, I’m going to pick you up, ya?” 

He hesitantly nodded, and the doctor lifted him, holding him against his chest as he tore through the halls. Wakko buried his head in the doctor’s coat to try and block out the shouting from all sides, the pounding and slamming doors… 

When he felt them descend the steps and the cellar door slam, he began to shake more, but eventually let go of his ears and hugged himself as Scratchansniff gently put him down on the floor. He looked up, around the dark, still room, and asked, “Wh-wh-where’s Yakko? Where’s Yakko?” 

“He’s coming, I promise-” 

“I want Yakko! I want Yakko!” Wakko knew he was acting like a baby, but he didn’t care. He started rocking again, gripping to his shirt and sobbing. 

“Wakko, Wakko. Look at me. You’re safe, and your brother is safe. He’ll be here soon. What do you need?” 

Wakko grabbed his shirt, and said, “Make the bell stop?” 

“It’ll stop soon. The guards have just been sent out. Alright?” 

“I don’t want to be in here. It’s too small.” 

“I’m sorry, we’ll be out in a second. Do you vant me to get Hello Nurse?” 

Wakko hesitated, thinking about his favorite healer in the building, and then said, “N-not if we’ll be out soon. I don’t want to be a bother.” He buried his face in his shirt there, his large eyes only just peeking out. 

“It’s not a bother.” 

“I just want Yakko. Where is he?” 

“He’ll be here.” 

“Is this because of me?” 

“No. Something was stolen, they’re checking the castle for other intruders before clearing you to come out.” 

Wakko shook slightly. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry. We should-” 

There was a patterned knock on the door, and Wakko perked up, his tail wagging slightly. Scratchansniff nodded at him and then went up the short stairs and opened the cellar door. 

Wakko probably should’ve stayed in place, but instead he kicked himself off the wall, bounded up the stairs, and threw himself at his brother. 

“Whoa!” Yakko said, as Wakko clung to him. “Whoa, buddy, it’s okay-” 

“Where  _ were you?”  _

“It’s okay, I was with the guards. We had to go over boring safety stuff. Yawn!” 

Wakko had no idea how Yakko could keep himself so calm, so lighthearted. He sniffled slightly. “I was scared-” 

“That someone nabbed me? Puh- _ lease,  _ not only can no jail hold me, but no captors would  _ want  _ me. They’d bring me back.” 

“Oomph, Yakko,” Scratchansniff said concernedly, “I vouldn’t be so flippant, it’s a serious concern-” 

“Not now, Scratchy, can’t you see I’m telling my brother not to worry about kidnappings?” Yakko pulled away a second, smiling down at his brother. “Now, Wakko, when you see a stranger, take all the candy from him.” 

“He already  _ does that, don’t encourage him, Yakko!”  _

Wakko shook his head. “No! No, I was- I thought you’d left! Like Mum and Dad!” 

Yakko’s face fell for a moment, and then shoved his smiling mask back on. “No! No, no, I wouldn’t leave you alone. You’d be a  _ disaster  _ without supervision.” He put an arm around Wakko and then stage-whispered, “Besides, between you and me? I  _ can’t _ get outta here. As stuck as you are!” 

“Yakko, please. Try to keep your brother calm.” 

“I  _ am. _ Laughter’s the best medicine, doc.” 

“Vaccinations are, in my professional opinion.” 

“Hold on, aren’t you a therapist? Do you even know medicine, too?” 

Wakko giggled slightly, and leaned against Yakko’s arm, feeling the stiff fur against his face. He didn’t know if Yakko and Scratchy were actually arguing or just playing it up to distract him, but it really  _ did _ make him feel better. It felt more normal, hearing Yakko annoy one of the council members out of their minds. Like the alarm had never gone off. 

Eventually a guard ran up, kneeling in front of them. “Your highnesses-” 

“What about em?” Yakko asked, then turned to no one and said,  _ “Goodnight, everybody!”  _

“-our guards are in pursuit of the thieves. They shall not get away.” 

“Vat did they steal?” Scratchansniff asked, carefully putting a hand on Yakko’s shoulder. 

The guard hesitated, and then said, “The Princess’s crown.” 

Wakko blinked, and looked up at Yakko as his brother’s face fell again, and this time the smile didn’t come back immediately. 

“Hurry, Pinky!” 

The advantage to being tiny mice, escaping from a charging army through a dense forest, is that you can blend in very well with the dirt, hide behind roots, and disappear into a bush if you can find one big enough to cover the tiara you’ve stolen. The disadvantage being that you have to eventually leap  _ over _ those roots and slide under those bushes. So, really, they were on even grounds, maybe a bit less so considering they had to carry a crown about twice their size with them. 

“Whee!” Pinky cheered as they jumped from a root to the dirt. Brain was not having as much fun, glancing back as he heard the clamper of horse hooves and the barking of guard dogs coming ever closer. 

“Pinky, I have a plan. Go to the left.” 

“Your left or my left?” 

_ “Pinky!”  _

Pinky eventually chose a side, and it was the wrong one, so they spun around and head in the other direction. They disappeared behind a particularly leafy branch, hanging low from a willow, and Brain hoped their departure from the road would stop the guards, though of course the dogs could still track them. Well, he thought, as they waded through a puddle, most of those dogs wouldn’t want to go through the mud, perhaps they’d be safe. Now they just needed to get to someplace safe to hide until this all blew over. 

His spirits sank when he heard the dog barking continue, and then more hooves. “How many blasted guards does this kingdom  _ have?”  _ he said. 

“Oooh! Ooh! I know the answer! Pick me!” Pinky raised a hand, causing the crown to drop. 

_ “Pinky,  _ pick up the crown and help me climb into that tree, I have an idea.” 

Pinky did boost Brain into a tree, and Brain then swung him and the crown onto a branch. They waited, and after a moment, the soldiers tore past, the pounding of their horses’ hooves shaking the mice ever so slightly. They hung on tight, waiting for the army to pass. 

And eventually, the guards passed, and the horses passed, and so did most of the dogs. Except one. 

A brown dog stopped a moment, sniffing in the air. He then departed from the others, went over to the tree, and sniffed around the bark. 

“Pinky,” Brain whispered, “I believe we have been discovered. I must have time to formulate a plan to escape this creature.” 

“Ooh, a puppy!” Pinky said. And with that, he swung off the branch, taking the crown, and a shouting Brain, with him. 

The two of them landed atop the dog’s head, and he let out a yowl and began to run, frightened. Brain seized his opportunity, and after a few shaky moments, he clambered to the top of the dog’s head, keeping at least one hand on the crown that Pinky was now swinging from, and grabbed the upturned ears, trying to steer. “Ya! Ya!” 

The dog slid to a stop, the dirt screeching beneath him. And though Brain couldn’t see it, he could tell that dog now had a very cross look on his face. 

“I mean, um… good boy?” 

“He  _ is _ a good boy! Narf!” 

The dog shook, and Pinky, Brain and the Crown went flying, landing a few feet from him. The dog turned and growled, clawing at the ground as he watched them. 

“Um… good dog?” Brain attempted. 

“His collar says ‘Buttons’!” Pinky said. 

“Ah, good thinking, Pinky. Dogs will more likely trust someone who knows their name. Now, Mr Buttons, if I may-” 

Buttons charged, and Brain managed to pull them aside just before he leapt face-first into the dirt. 

“Run, Pinky!” 

They took off down the path, knowing they had a limited head start, and this dog was a lot bigger than them and could catch up quite quickly. Brain scanned the area for something they could use to escape, and as he did, Buttons pounced. Brain and Pinky fell into the dirt, and the crown went flying. The three toons then watched as the crown landed, safely, at the edge of a branch- on the edge of a cliff. 

“Oh, come  _ on!”  _ Brain groaned. 

He grabbed Pinky’s hand and raced towards the branch, while Buttons barked and began to head the same way. Brain and Pinky finally reached the bark and began to crawl across the wood, with Pinky swinging his legs and laughing. “Are we It, Brain? Can the dog tag us?” 

“Pinky, just keep your focus on getting that crown!” 

“Uh, Brain-” 

“We’re almost there!” 

Brain could tell that Buttons was just behind them, edging along the branch and growling. They just had to get there first… There! Brain reached out and grabbed the rim of the crown, and turned, triumphant, towards the dog. “Ha ha!” 

“Right-o, Brain!” Pinky cheered. “And the branch only broke twenty seconds ago!” 

Buttons and Brain froze, and then turned, and looked at the place where the branch should have connected to the cliff, completely severed. 

“Pinky,” Brain said slowly, “If we survive this, remind me to hurt you later.” 

“Poit!” 

And with that, the branch fell. 

For a moment, all three toons were gripping onto the branch for dear life as it tumbled down the cliff, letting out screams as the wind pressed against them. Then, after the moment, the branch crashed onto the ground, and Buttons was sent flying into a tree. Thinking quickly, Brain took the crown with one hand and Pinky with the other, and dragged them both under the roots of a tree. He paused a moment, until he heard Buttons get up, bark, and start sniffing the branch, trying to find out where their trail had gone. Brain gestured to Pinky to stay quiet, and then they carried the crown off as quietly as they could- which was hard, in such a grassy area. 

They made it to a stone wall, and as they rushed on, Pinky stopped by a patch of green. “Gee, Brain, these leaves look a bit like moss. Do you think they taste the same?” 

“Pinky…” Brain began, and then he considered. “Wait a moment.” 

He pushed aside the leaves, and blinked as he saw what lay on the other side of the wall; an open, flowery field, a small river flowing through it, and a tall, somewhat-abandoned water tower pushed into a corner. 

“This is perfect! Pinky, help me get the crown inside.” 

They carried the crown across the flowery fields- well, mostly, Pinky took a moment to drop the band on Brain’s foot while he chased after a dandelion- and eventually they made it to the tower’s base. 

“I’m not seeing a door, Brain.” Pinky said. 

“That’s because it’s suspended in the air, Pinky. We may have to climb up in order to hide here.” Brain considered. “Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?” 

“I think so, Brain, but wouldn’t we need to provide lungs as well as legs?” 

“Your mind is a mystery to even the greatest scholars, Pinky. Now, all we’ll need is a vine, a startled hedgehog or similarly quilled creature, and some adhesives.” 

“Oh! Or we could sprout wings!” 

Brain turned to Pinky incredulously. “Yes, Pinky, or we could sprout  _ wings. _ While we’re at it, why don’t we wait for a ladder to fall on us?” 

At that instant, the end of thirty feet of hair crashed atop Brain, and he fell back onto the grass. 

“Oh! Oh, Brain, it worked!” Pinky cheered. 

Brain crawled out from the fur, confused. “Okay?” He glanced up, unable to see the top of the tower. “Hmm. Perhaps blown out of the tower by the wind. It seems like a rope. Here, Pinky, put one hand on the crown, I’ll hold the other end and help us up.” 

Pinky did as he was told, and Brain gripped onto part of the hair, the crown clanging against the grass. Then, to his surprise, the fur moved up. Pinky cheered, while Brain paused in confusion. This couldn’t be the work of the wind. But that tower seemed abandoned- who would live here? Perhaps it was some mechanic. Or… 

The end of the hair was pulled up and  _ yanked _ back, and Pinky and the Brain swung, the end of the fur just beneath a hook. And on the other end of the length of hair- a very confused nine-year-old girl of indeterminable species. 

She stared. They stared. Then, after a second, Pinky said, “Hello!” 

The girl screamed, and Brain leapt off the fur-rope, taking Pinky and the crown with him. They landed on the floor, and began to run, when… 

BAM. 

Dot stared down at the unconscious mice on her floor, holding her mallet high above her head in case they started to move again. She took a deep breath, and then said, 

“I think I like the mallet better than the frying pan.” 


	5. Never

**CHAPTER FIVE - NEVER**

Wakko sat outside the door of the meeting room, knocking his knees together and waiting for everyone to be done so he could do something else and not have to think about today ever again. 

It was supposed to be a quick gathering, and maybe it was, but he was a horrible judge of time. Yakko was just supposed to talk to the council and the head of the guards about the thievery and the extra security measures- as if they didn’t have _enough._ How did thieves even get into the castle? 

_Maybe… no, no, they couldn’t have found that, he’d been so careful… Think about something else._

He leaned against the door, straining to hear what was on the other end, pressing an ear against the wood. How many times had he been in this position? Trying to find out if mother or father could spend time with him today or if they were still talking to people or talking to themselves, or if Yakko was in his room and not in class and thus free to play, if he even _wanted_ to play… 

He could hear low mumbles, about patrols and the roofs and some dog or another, and he shut his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he could never make sense of these conversations. Yakko could; even though he would act bored, or snarky, Wakko knew that he understood every word. He understood a lot of things, really, things that Wakko could never get. He’d strain himself to memorize how royals were supposed to talk, or how meetings would go, but it never stuck. He supposed that meant it was a good thing Yakko was the one who was going to be King. Yikes, would that make him even busier? Father was always busy, was Yakko going to be gone even more? He didn’t know if he could handle wandering the halls alone, knowing that his brother didn’t have any time for him at all. It was bad enough with Yakko in class, if he was doing _official_ things, no hope of escaping to sit at the window and watch the first snow of the year? Wakko would rather bust out of the castle and live on the streets. 

He couldn’t really say he was alone. There was Yakko, when he wasn’t studying, and the council. Scratchansniff was a… what was the word? Psycho-cologist? Something like that. But it meant he knew how to talk to Wakko without making him feel bad, which was nice of him. And Hello Nurse, his favorite medic in the castle, who was _super_ nice and smart and helped him figure out hard schoolwork in a fun way. The other members of the council didn’t talk to him much, though one of them had a young daughter who’d occasionally wander the halls with him until her dog shepherded her back to her room. She was a bit too young to understand conversation, but that meant Wakko didn’t have to talk, and they could just look for fun things to play with. 

Everyone at the palace was nice to him, really, though Wakko supposed they kinda had to be. He was a prince, after all, his family was paying them. But while he felt that a lot of the kindness was genuine, he could tell that there was a tiredness with most people. Done with dealing with his problems, done with entertaining him, done with him causing a fuss. God, he really was a screw-up, wasn’t he? He couldn’t get anything right… 

The door finally opened, and Wakko looked up as the council members filed out, and then the guards, and then finally Yakko, who turned and smiled at him. “Thought you’d wait it out.” 

“What’d they say?” 

“More patrols, more guards, yada yada. Stuff you’d expect. I don’t know why I need to be there for this, like I _wanna_ hear how closed up we’re gonna be til they find these idiots.” 

Wakko bit his lip, standing up and following Yakko as he started to walk back towards his room. “Who were they?” 

“Common thieves who got lucky, by the look of things. Good for us, means it’s not some foreign invasion or skilled assassins or somewhat. They’ll catch em eventually.” 

Wakko paused, and then asked, “What about our sister’s crown?” 

“I’m sure they’ll find it. It’s a _little_ distinctive.” 

“I guess.” Wakko hadn’t really given the crown a lot of thought, except when he was passing by and his father told him very sternly not to touch it, that was for when Angie came home. He just knew it was important to his parents, and to Yakko, and to their missing sister. 

“They’ll probably lock it up after this,” Yakko said, tracing an outline on the wallpaper. “Somewhere it can’t be grabbed.” 

“So it won’t be on display?” 

“Probably not.” 

“But Mum and Daddoo wanted it on display. They said they wanted everyone to remember that Angie was coming back. That’s why we do the lanterns, isn’t it?” 

Yakko stopped walking, and Wakko, confused, slid to a stop on his own and turned, his ear flopping over his face. His older brother sighed, and then said, “Wakko, do you… wanna do the lanterns this year?” 

“What?” 

Yakko stared hard into nothing. “I’ve just been thinking about it recently, and it’ll be… the first time, without Mom and Dad. I don’t know if I can do it. Send out our lantern. Maybe we should sit it out. Or call it off or-” 

“We can’t do that!” Wakko said, shaking his head. “Those lanterns are so our sister can find her way home.” 

Yakko shut his eyes for a moment, and then turned over. “You still believe that?” 

“Of course.” Wakko nodded. “She’ll find us, and then we’ll have…” his breath caught in his throat, but Yakko could tell what he meant. _We’ll have family again._ “We’ll have her.” 

“It’s been so long…” 

“So she’ll be old enough to go out and find us herself.” Wakko said. He reached out and grabbed Yakko’s hand, and Yakko jumped with surprise. “We just gotta cheer up, and never ever give up hope!” 

Yakko hesitated a moment, and then pulled his little brother into a quick hug. He pulled away just as fast, staring at the ground, and then whispered, “Yeah. Never give up hope. That sounds good.”

Dot stared down in confusion at the two unconscious mice underneath her. Rita eventually leapt beside her, licking a paw and stretching a little. 

“I can eat em if you want.” 

“No, no. Maybe later, but no. I wanna know how they found us. Mother said this tower’s super well hidden.” 

“Girl, if _I_ could find your tower-” 

“You got here on accident.” 

“Maybe they did too, then.” 

“I dunno, they climbed on my fur. What idiots would do that if they didn’t know what it was?” 

“What idiots would come for you without weapons?” 

“I dunno.” Dot paused, and then edged towards the mice, looking them over. She ran a hand over one of their ears. “I’ve never seen someone other than Mother before.” 

“Trying not to feel offended.” 

“You don’t count, you’re my cat.” 

“And they’re mice. Your point being?” 

“They seem like civilians, with the clothing. And they were carrying something shiny… where’d that go?” 

“Went flying when you knocked em out.” 

“Right, right. Lemme just…” Dot shook her head, and then let out a groan as her ears flopped into her eyes. She pushed them aside and glanced around, looking for whatever shiny thing they’d brought in with them. She finally caught the glint out of the corner of her eye, reflecting the light from the swinging door, and she moved over, picking the item up with curiosity. 

“The _hell_ is this?” she finally said, before going over to her mirror to try and get a better look at it from all angles. It was a little circle, with some gems propping up the center. Bit weird. 

Rita jumped up beside her, licking her paw and then smoothing down her fur. Dot gave her a quick glance to find out if she’d help, before reaching out an arm and sliding the item on. “Hmm. Too big for a bracelet. Maybe it’s food!” 

“I don’t think it’s food.” Rita said. 

Dot began gnawing on the gems, before shaking her head. “Too hard. Ooh! Maybe it’s some kinda stim toy!” She ran her hands over the jewels. “Hmm. I mean, I _like_ doing this, but it’s not as fun as when I bounce, and I don’t need a toy for that. Oh! Maybe it’s a necklace.” 

“Looks a bit heavy for that.” 

“I dunno, let’s try it.” Dot attempted to fit it around her head. “Ugh, head too big! Head too big! Screw it.” she stopped, and sighed, and then paused, looking in the mirror. The item rested on her head, and she slowly turned it, so the gems were facing forward. She cocked her head, watching her reflection. 

“Dot? Sweetie?” 

“I dunno.” Dot said, before adjusting the item a bit more. “Do you think you wear it like this? Like a hat?” 

Rita paused, considered, and then said, “No.” 

“Hmm.” 

Then, from the bottom of the tower, they heard, _“Dottie!”_

“Shoot!” Dot jumped, and then grabbed the item, ran to the nearest flowerpot, and shoved it inside. She then turned to the mice on the floor, hesitated, and then grabbed them by the tails, racing to her closet. 

“What are you doing?” Rita asked. 

“New plan, new plan!” Dot said, as she tossed the mice into the closet and slammed the door shut. “I show Mother that I knocked out some intruders, and she trusts me, and I get to see the floating lights!” 

“Sounds convoluted.” Rita said, before hopping back into her pantry hiding spot. “Sure you don’t just want me to eat em?” 

“Later.” Dot ran to the pantry, shutting the doors before running back to the tower. “Coming, Mother!” 

She lowered her hair, tugging it against the hook and bouncing a little in her excitement. Norita grabbed on, and Dot began to pull up her hair, as her mother called, “I have a _surprise_ for you!” 

“Uh, _so do I!”_

“Ooh, I bet my surprise is _bigger!”_

Dot glanced towards her closet, and muttered, “I _seriously doubt it.”_

She finally managed to pull Norita to the balcony, and the woman stepped off and said, “I brought bananas from the market. Your favorite! _Surprise!”_

“Oh! Wonderful! Um-” Dot stuttered, as Norita walked in and shoved the basket onto a counter. “Mother, I-” 

“You would not _believe_ the day I’ve had. Only two people stopped to give me compliments. The world really is a cruel place. Oh, sweetie, what happened to the floor? You made a mess again.” 

“Yes, about that-” 

“Nevermind, you can clean that later.” 

“Okay, Mother,” Dot ran to the counter, sitting on top of it. “There’s something I want to say-” 

“Oh, Dottie.” Norita patted her on the head. “You know I hate leaving you after a fight. Especially when I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.” 

“Okay! Yeah.” Dot shrugged her off. “I was thinking a _lot_ about what you said earlier.” 

“Is this still about the stars?” 

“Floating lights, and yes, I’m _leading up to that!”_

Norita picked her up and dropped her on the floor, continuing to remove food from her basket. “I really thought we’d moved past that.” 

“Okay, maybe, kinda? Not really.” Dot hopped to her feet and made her way to the closet. She took a deep breath, then turned. “Okay, so, you know how you _think_ I’m not strong enough to handle myself out there?” 

“Oh, Dottie, darling,” Norita gave her a side-glance, “I _know_ you’re not strong enough to handle yourself out there.” 

“Okay, Mother, I _mentioned_ the Dottie thing, it’s _really_ bugging me-” 

“See? If you’re upset by something as small as this, you won’t be able to deal with the outside world. Now, as I was-” 

“Okay, but if you just-” 

“Dottie, we’re done talking about this.” 

“Oh, come _on,”_ Dot reached for the door. “Trust me, I-” 

“Dottie!” 

“I _know_ what I’m-” 

Norita slammed her hand on the table, and raised her voice to a scream. _“Enough with the lights, Dottie!_ You are _not leaving this tower, EVER!”_

Dot froze over completely, her hand hovering just over the handle for the closet door. Her heart sunk and her face fell, her ears dropping over her eyes. _Ever?_ Never _ever?_

Norita sighed, then, and dropped into a chair, putting her head in her hands. “Great. Now _I’m_ the bad guy.” 

Dot felt guilt gnaw at her stomach. Mother was just trying to take care of her… but she’d never let her leave. Dot could take care of herself out there, she knew she could. And she couldn’t stand another year watching the lanterns from her window, let alone the rest of her life. 

Slowly, her hand lowered from the door handle. She took a deep breath, and made a decision. 

“I’m sorry, Mother. I was just trying to say that I figured out what I want for my birthday.” 

Norita slowly said, her voice dripping with some negative emotion Dot couldn’t identify- “And _what_ is _that?”_

“New ribbons. For my hair.” Dot said quietly. She had used up all her ribbons on skirt-sewing and rhythmic gymnastics practice that would result in the ribbons being blown away into the wind. 

“Is that all?” 

“I… I really want the pretty ones, with the flower patterns. Cause… I’m your flower.” Dot forced a slight smile. “The ones you got me from the beach market.” 

Norita looked up sharply. _“That_ is a very long trip, Dottie. Almost three days’ time.” 

“I just thought it would be a better gift than the…” Dot swallowed. “The stars.” 

Norita sighed and stood up, walking over to the young girl. She put her hands on her shoulders, brushing her ears aside, and said, “Are you sure you’d be alright for that time?” 

“I’m safe,” Dot stated, “As long as I’m here.” 

Norita sighed, and then knelt down and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll miss you very much, my darling.” 

“I will, too.” 

“I love you very much.” 

“I love you more.” 

“I love you most.” 

And so Dot lowered her hair to the ground, and let her mother climb down to the grass and wave goodbye. She stared after her, part of her straining to scream after her, tell her to come back, she didn’t mean it… but the curious part of her won out. 

She had to see those lights. 

Whatever it took.


	6. A Deal

**CHAPTER SIX - A DEAL**

When Brain blinked himself awake, his head pounding, it took him a moment to realize he was tied to something and suspended in the air. He finally glanced down, realizing something thick and gold was tied around him, and he managed to say, “Oh, what the-” 

“Oh! Brain! Hello!” he glanced to the side, to see that Pinky was tied just beside him. “Isn’t this fun?” 

“No, Pinky, it is  _ not!  _ Where are we?” 

“Well, we were running through the forest, and then we found a water tower…” 

“Oh _ crud.”  _ Brain muttered. He glanced down at the ropes binding them, and then began staring, studying them. He followed the trail; the rope reached up and looped around a beam, and then a few others, leading to something in the shadows. Or… someone. 

“Pinky, you may not believe this, but I am under the impression that we have been tied in an extensive length of fur.” 

“I’d believe anything, really, Brain.” 

“I am aware.” Brain squinted towards the shadows, where the fur ended. What had happened just before they were knocked out? Did they…? 

“St-struggling…” came a small, high voice from the shadows. There was a swallow, a low curse, and then, “Struggling is pointless!”

“Okay!” Pinky said. 

Brain blinked. “What the…” 

“And I’m not… I’m not afraid! I’m stronger than you! And  _ cuter!” _

“What the hell…” Brain muttered. 

A figure then swung down from the shadows, landing with a  _ thump _ on the floor. And then, out stepped a nine-year-old girl, holding a huge mallet above her head in a threatening gesture. The girl was covered in the gold fur, which extended from her head like hair, and she had sharp, dark eyes, glaring over at them. 

After a moment, Brain said, “...Hello.” 

The girl blinked, then angrily said, “Hi.” 

“Oh, hello!” Pinky added. “I’m Pinky, and this is Brain.” 

_ “Pinky, be quiet.”  _

“Right-o!” 

The girl glared, and then stepped closer. “Alright,  _ Pinky and Brain.  _ How did you find me?” 

“Excuse me?” Brain asked. 

“How did you  _ find me?”  _ she raised her mallet.  _ “Answer me!”  _

“What?” 

“Who else  _ knows my location?”  _

“You say that as if we were looking for you.” Brain said, beginning to ramble, as he did in situations where he felt out of control. “We most certainly were  _ not. _ We don’t deal with children.” 

“Children? I’m almost ten!” 

“Right. As I was saying, we were simply looking for a place to hide with-” Brain trailed off and then frantically looked around the room they were in; the tower was definitely made up like a house, but the floor was clean, and he couldn’t see their treasure everywhere. “Oh no! Oh no,  _ where _ is the crown?” 

“The what?” the girl asked. 

“He means the shiny jewel thing, Dot.” said a voice from the rafters. 

Brain looked up and immediately said, “Oh, good Chaucer, is that a  _ cat?”  _

“Yeah.” said the cat from the rafters, looking at her splayed paw. “So I’d suggest you behave.” 

“The cat is of no matter to this discussion.” the girl huffed. She came closer to the mice, glaring over. “What do you want with my fur?” 

“Your  _ what?”  _ Brain said. 

“To cut it?” 

“What?” 

_ “Sell it?”  _

_ “No!”  _ Brain said. “To borrow a common colloquialism, all we want at the moment is to  _ get out of your hair.”  _

The girl stopped her glaring a moment, before blinking in confusion. “Wait. You…  _ don’t  _ want my fur?” 

_ “Why would we?”  _ Brain said. “Look, we were being chased, we found a tower, we climbed it.” 

The girl peered at them. “You’re… telling the truth?” 

“All we want is the crown we arrived with. Where is it?” 

The girl smirked and crossed her arms. “I’ve hidden it. Somewhere you’ll  _ never  _ find it.” 

Brain gaped. Pinky turned and said, “Ooh! Lemme guess. Is it, um… in that flowerpot?” 

“Pinky, don’t be absurd.” Brain said. “She would never hide something so valuable in a place so obvious.” 

The girl blinked.  _ “Riiiiiiiiiight.”  _ She then shook her head, which caused the hair holding the mice to bounce a little. When the bouncing slowed, she said, “One moment,” and then began shimmying up her own hair, climbing to the rafters with the cat. 

Brain strained to hear what she was saying- but he only briefly caught, “take me,” “truth,” and “fangs.” He sighed and turned to Pinky. “Alright, Pinky. Worst case scenario, we will have to chew our way out.” 

“I can do that! Narf! Oh, but won’t that hurt her?” 

“Haircuts don’t hurt, Pink- _ eeeee!”  _

At that moment, the mice felt themselves launched into the air, as the girl yanked back on her hair, pulling them up to the roof area at an incredible speed. They finally reached the top area, face-level with the girl, and they once again bounced a few times before settling down. 

“Would you  _ stop that?”  _ Brain shouted. 

“Alright, mice.” the girl said, pushing her ear out of her face. She stepped over the glaring cat and gestured to a painting, clearly showing lanterns floating across the night sky. “Do you know what  _ these  _ are?” 

Brain blinked. “You mean the freaking  _ lanterns?”  _

“Lanterns.” the girl muttered under her breath. “I knew it. I  _ knew _ they weren’t stars.” She cleared her throat, gave a glance to the cat, and then said, “Well, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky with these…  _ lanterns. You two  _ will act as my guides, take me to these lanterns, and return me home safely. Then, and  _ only _ then, will I return your ‘crown’ to you. That is my deal.” 

Brain tried to share a look of exasperation with Pinky, only to find that Pinky was actually thinking it over. Brain sighed and rolled his eyes, turning back to the girl. “Listen, child- your cat said your name was Dot? May I call you Dot?” 

“Sure.” she said. “But call me Dottie, and you die.” 

“Dot it is.” Brain hissed. “Dot, Pinky and I are not exactly in league with the kingdom at the moment. In fact, at this time, they are definitely on the hunt for us.” 

“They were chasing us with  _ big horses!”  _ Pinky emphasized. 

“Yes, as Pinky said. We find ourselves unable to complete your request, so… we won’t be taking you anywhere.” 

Dot paused, and then glanced down at her cat. The cat then raised a paw and mimed a slap. Dot turned back, and then began pulling on her hair, causing the rodents to swing closer and closer to her. 

“Something  _ brought _ you here, Pinky and Brain. Call it what you will. Fate… destiny…” 

“A dog.” Brain said.

“But I have made the decision to trust you.” 

“A horrible decision, really.” Brain said honestly. 

“But  _ trust me _ when I tell you this.” 

Dot then  _ tugged _ hard on her hair, causing Pinky and the Brain to swing close to her. She grabbed onto the spot of hair just above where they were tied and pulled them very, very close to her face. She then lowered her voice, baring fangs. 

“You can tear this water tower apart  _ plank _ by  _ plank.  _ But without my help? You will  _ never _ find your stupid crown.” she hissed. 

She and Brain held eye contact for a very long time, and her glare did not fade. Finally, Brain sighed and said, “Allow me to reiterate your deal. We will act as your guides, and take you to see the lantern festival. Then, we return you home, and you give back the crown.” 

“Cross my heart and decompose, stick a needle up my nose.” Dot said. 

Brain took a long, deep breath. “Good lord. I will take that as a yes?” 

“It’s her biggest promise.” the cat said, still staring up at the mice with a dark look. “She can’t break that one.” 

“Does the cat have to come?” 

“She goes where I go.” Dot insisted. 

Brain and Pinky shared a look, as Pinky said, “I  _ do _ like festivals, Brain.” 

He sighed. “Fine, fine. We’ll take you to see the lanterns.” 

_ “Really?”  _ the girl’s face lit up, and she began to bounce and flap her hands- meaning she let go of her hair. Brain and Pinky shouted as they were knocked back into a wall, and then the knot came untied, and they fell to the floor, bouncing off of perches and dressers until they landed with a SLAM right beside a full-length mirror. 

Brain groaned and sat up, while Pinky giggled, and they heard a distant, “Oh! Sorry!” 

“I hate children.” Brain mumbled. 

Pinky sat up. “You know something, Brain? She looks kinda like the Lost Princess.” 

“Quiet, you nincompoop. We must find a way out of this…” 

The girl slid down her hair, landing beside them, and then with a tug, her hair undid itself from the rafters, landing with a  _ thump _ behind her on the floor. 

“I’ll pack!” she said. She then shoved the mallet into what appeared to be thin air. “There we go.” 

She ran to the doorway to the tower, kicking it open, and threw her hair onto the hook beside the door, before tossing the rest out. “You go ahead first, I’ll be right down!” 

After a hesitant moment, the two mice  _ did _ scurry down, sliding to the grass. Dot glanced over the edge of the tower, as Rita jumped beside her. 

“Whoa, this’ll be neat.” Rita stretched. “Haven’t touched grass since I got here.”

“I haven’t touched grass  _ at all.  _ Does it itch?” 

“Eh, you’ll get used to it.” Rita jumped onto the railing, looking down, and then turning back around. “Okay, look, I know I’ve been encouraging this-”

“A lot.” 

“-but, well… you don’t  _ have  _ to if you don’t feel ready. I mean… I wasn’t ready for the world when my first owners kicked me to the streets. If you don’t wanna go… well, make the decision for yourself, okay? Imma go down there and scare the mice a little.” 

“Leave em alive, Rita, we need them! You don’t know enough of this kingdom to act as my guide, do you?” 

“Yeah, yeah. See you on the flip side.” 

With that, Rita also grabbed onto her hair and slid down. 

Once she disappeared down the railing, Dot cautiously glanced out, seeing the field outside. She wondered what it would look like up close- what it would  _ feel _ like. She’d never done more than toss trash at the ground to see if it would bounce. Maybe it would feel wrong, all wrong, and she’d hate it and want to spend the rest of her life in the top of the water tower. It was small, after all, and enclosed, and she knew every inch of it. She didn’t know a thing about the big world out there. 

“Should I…” she muttered to herself, glancing back. Then her gaze caught the patch of the roof, decorated with her painting of the lanterns. 

_ She had to know.  _

“Here I go.” she muttered. 

She backed up a second, and then took a running start and leapt, grabbing her own dangling hair. She grabbed the edge and began to slide, feeling the air give way under her. She laughed as speed picked up, the curves of her fur lifting with the wind against her. It was  _ exhilarating,  _ much fun than riding her hair down the rafters. She splayed her paws out to feel the breeze between her toes, raised her tail high and then… 

She stopped, just a foot from the ground. She’d run out of hair. She glanced down, and took a sharp breath. Right beneath her, so close, was the grass below. For a moment, she spun, pushed by the wind and looping around her own fur. It made her dizzy, so she found a way to steady herself and then stared down again, reaching a bit higher on her fur to get a better, tighter grip. She’d never realized the grass had so many tiny blades. Nor had she realized what the legs of her water tower looked like, one right behind her and another in front. They were huge, hulking bars, the chipped wood drifting into those blades of grass. 

She glanced up, just a bit. Just a bit into the grass were flowers. And then bushes. A tall, stone wall, growing with moss. She’d seen it all before. But never like this. 

Slowly, very slowly, she edged her foot down, closer and closer. Then, finally, she took a breath, and placed it on the grass. 

It didn’t itch. It tickled. 

She placed her other foot down, stretching her toes. It was a little warm, actually, and soft when all those blades came together. With one foot, she could feel the dirt beneath- sprinkled across the ground, making little, cute bumps. 

She let go of her fur with a  _ tug _ so it would unhook from the tower, and as it fell behind her, she continued to stare down at the ground, splaying her paws, standing on tip-toes and then heels, wanting to feel it all. 

And then she flopped over, throwing herself onto the grass, letting it press against her body, not caring if she stained her skirt or got dirt in her hair. She spread her arms, waving them through the blades a moment, before laughing and rolling over a few times. Then she looked up, realizing a dandelion was right in front of her. She gasped as the breeze blew past, lifting the seeds into the air, and she leapt to her feet, racing after them, holding out her arms as if to catch one. She remembered an illustration of the dandelion in her fairytale books, saying that you could wish on the seeds as they flew away. But what was she to wish for  _ now?  _

She stumbled as she felt something cold hit her feet, and looked down to realize she’d stumbled into a stream. It looked so  _ beautiful  _ under the sky, not like her bathwater or kitchen water- it rippled when she moved, and she could see the grass reflected at the river’s edge, sky reflected on its top. Beneath, smooth stones, a bit of mud, which felt like dirt only warmer and heavier. She liked mud, she decided in that moment, digging her paws in, and then she knelt down, feeling the water with her hands, letting it seep through the fabric of her gloves. She lifted and tossed water into the air, letting it shower around her like rain. 

A bird flew by her, then, and she took off after it, laughing and screeching, not caring whether she stumbled over rocks or grass or riverbeds. She simply chased the bird throughout the enclosed field, feeling like she could go  _ anywhere.  _

She  _ could.  _

The bird flew out of the hole, where the mossy leaves had grown, blocking her view of everything outside her hollow. She didn’t care at all, instead racing for the bird, wondering what kind it was, if it was young or old, if it had flown before, it flying felt like  _ this.  _

She burst through the leaves, and looked in awe at the forest around her. The sun shone through the leaves, an empty spot right above her so the sun could warm her fur. She blinked up at it for a little bit, and then once again collapsed onto the grass. Purple flowers pressed around her, their scent surrounding her. 

She began to sing softly under her breath.  _ “For, like, the first time in forever…”  _

_ “I’m completely free…”  _


	7. Issues

**CHAPTER SEVEN - ISSUES**

As soon as Rita made it out of the hollow and into the forest, Dot tackled her, causing her to yowl.  _ “Rita Rita Rita Rita!”  _ she screeched. 

“Yo, I’m not deaf, kid,” Rita said, but she did laugh a little. 

Dot picked up her cat and shook her excitedly. “I can’t believe I did this!” Then, she froze, holding Rita against her chest and smushing their faces together. “I can’t believe I did this.” she whispered. Then she beamed and jumped up again, spinning Rita around as if they were in a dance. “I  _ can’t believe  _ I  _ did this!”  _

She dropped Rita and then started to roll on the ground, letting her fur wrap around her. “Whoo!” 

She then immediately sat up, stared into space, and said, “Mother would be so furious.” 

Dot skipped over to the nearby river, sitting down and picking up a waterlily, and said, “Okay, okay, it’s fine, what she doesn’t know won’t kill her.” 

She dropped the lily. “Oh,  _ great  _ Spielberg, this would  _ kill her!”  _

She shook her head to clear it, and then started splashing in the stream, before falling in it face-first. She laughed and rolled over. “Oh! This is  _ sooo fun!”  _

She jumped back out of the water, shook her fur to dry it, and then ran to a nearby oak, banging her head against the trunk. “I am a horrible daughter. I’m going back.” 

Another dandelion seed blew past her, and she raced after it, laughing and then collapsing in a pile of flowers.  _ “I  _ am _ never  _ going  _ back!”  _

She then rammed her head into the dirt. “I am a  _ despicable, worthless piece of garbage!”  _

Dot glanced up at a sturdy branch, wrapped her hair around it, and began to swing circles around the tree, laughing as she went higher and higher, the wind underneath her.  _ “Whoo!”  _ she cheered. “Best!  _ Day! EVER!”  _

At that, she collapsed back to the grass, let her fur fall around her, and started to sob. 

“Well…” she heard a voice behind her, and glanced up to see the two mice, Pinky and Brain, standing on a rock near her, watching her carefully. Brain then said, “That was certainly a lot of emotion to witness in a span of roughly thirty-eight seconds.” 

“Narf.” Pinky agreed.

“Leave me alone to die.” Dot moaned into the grass. 

Brain cleared his throat, giving Pinky a look that Dot didn’t recognize, and then he stepped forward. “Now. Pinky and I have noticed that you seem… a little, shall we say, conflicted?” 

“We shall not say that,” Dot said, “Because I don’t know what it means.” 

Brain sighed. “In a state of disharmony? Disaccord? At war with yourself.” 

“Oh, no, this isn’t war with myself.” Dot sat up and giggled. “War with myself is a fun game, but then I have to clean out the  _ mace,  _ which is a chore.” 

“The what?” 

“This.” Dot pulled a mace from thin air. 

_ “Why do you have that?”  _ Brain shouted. 

Dot shrugged and tossed it over her shoulder. “I’m sorry, were you saying something?” 

“Yes.” Brain nodded. “Now, though you have not given us many details to work off of, I believe from some of your mumblings we can piece together your situation. There is an overprotective maternal figure, an order not to leave the bounds of your home, that sort of humdrum.” 

Dot giggled and rested her head on her fists. “I like your funny words, mouse guy.” 

“My name is Brain,” he said, though she did smile a little. “And I want to commend you on dealing with this all in such a strong way for someone of your age… you said you were ten?” 

“I’m ten tomorrow.” 

“Egad! Happy birthday!” 

“Quiet, Pinky.” Brain bopped him on the head. “But I would also like to assure you that this is, indeed, quite serious, and you are not stressing over anything inconsequential.” 

“Oh?” Dot cocked her head to the side, her tail wagging a little. 

“Yes. I have read several books on the development of the growing mind, and this is all part of the process towards becoming an adult.” 

“Spew.” 

“You are nearing adolescence, and as such your desire to ‘leave the nest’ appears. Allowing these feelings to flourish is healthy.” 

“Healthy.” Dot nodded. 

“Yes. You’re are very much overthinking this.” Brain leaned against the tree, staring down at his paw. “Now, does your mother deserve such a betrayal? Of course not.” 

“Poit!” Pinky added for emphasis.

“Will this break her heart and crush her soul as if she were Atlas allowing the sky to fall upon her? Probably. But as I said, this is how adulthood works.” 

Dot stared at him in shock, and then blankly repeated, “Break her heart?” 

“In half.” Brain nodded. 

“Crush her  _ soul?”  _

Pinky slammed his hands together and made a crunching noise with his mouth. 

“Oh no.” tears welled up in the edges of Dot’s eyes. “She… she  _ would _ be heartbroken, you’re right.” 

“Oh, I am, aren’t I?” Brain said, clasping his paws together. Then he paused, winked at Pinky, and said, “Okay, well, if you feel like this, I believe we could easily let you out of the deal.” 

“Let me what now?” Dot blinked her tears away. 

“That’s right! Don’t thank me now, we don’t want to waste time.” Brain said, clapping his paws together and then grabbing Pinky’s arm, jumping off the rock with him. He ran to Dot’s arm and tried to pull her back in the direction of the hollow. “Let’s just turn around, get you back home where you can be safe until you hit sixteen and break down a wall. We all win! Pinky and I get our crown and go on our path towards world domination, and you get back your mother-daughter bond of trust, or whatever. We part ways and never have to speak to each other again.” 

“No!” Dot stood up, accidentally lifting Brain with her. She plucked him from her arm and held him in front of her face, glaring. “I’m  _ seeing _ those  _ lanterns!”  _

“Oh, seriously?” Brain shouted. “Pinky and I can  _ hardly _ stand to-” 

“Do you want me to feed you to Rita? Cause I  _ will _ feed you to Rita!” 

“Oh, sure, like your spoiled cat could-” 

The bushes behind them rustled, and Dot leapt into panic mode. She dropped Brain to the grass, and then leapt behind him and Pinky, taking a defensive position and covering her neck. “It’s ruffians and thugs!” she wailed. “They’ve come for me!” 

Out of the bush, then, came Rita, shaking leaves out of her fur. “Yo, did you call for me?” she asked, bemused at the scene before her. 

Dot froze a moment, then laughed and stood, brushing her ears out of her face. “Ha, no, sorry, just got a  _ wee  _ bit startled!” 

“Don’t worry, Dot!” Pinky said, moving over to her and patting her paw. “It happens to the best of us!” 

“Really?” Dot asked, shoulders sagging in relief. 

“Yep! And now we know that we better avoid… what was it? Thuggians?” 

“Ruffians and thugs.” Dot said wisely. 

Brain narrowed his eyes, considered a moment, and then said, “Ah, well, in that case… are you, perchance, in want of food?” 

“Oh, I did forget to pack food…” Dot muttered. “Will that be a problem?” 

“Absolutely not! I know a  _ wonderful  _ place for supper,” Brain clapped his paws together again, “And it should be  _ relatively  _ close.” 

“Dinner’s as close as you want it to be.” Rita said threateningly. 

“That sounds nice, actually!” Dot then knelt down, holding out her hands. “Come on, you probably don’t want to walk all that way. You can hang out on my shoulders.” 

“Oh! Can I make a swing out of your fur?” Pinky asked. 

“Don’t be rude, Pinky.” 

“Naw, it’s fine. Do what you want. I have enough hair for everyone.” Dot held out her palms some more, and hesitantly, the mice stepped on. She placed them steadily on her shoulders, and said, “Now, which way are we heading?” 

Brain paused, surveyed his surroundings, and said, “Walk until you see a path. Then I’ll have a better sense.”

“This better not be some kinda trick,” Rita muttered, following after Dot as she skipped along, “Or you’ll be dead, mouse.” 

Overall, Buttons was not having a very good day. 

He’d begun the day by chasing down Mindy again, the toddler under his watch, which had ended up with him covered in thorns. And once he was clear, he had to race out because someone had gotten it in their heads to steal from the royal palace- as if that wasn’t  _ completely  _ against the rules, how dare they! And then he’d been thrown off a cliff  _ with  _ these thieves, and they’d managed to slip away. 

But, well, he could put that aside for now. He had a job to do- sniffing out those thieves. They shouldn’t be hard to catch, they were barely the size of his front paws. And it wasn’t like he’d  _ totally  _ lost their scent, only  _ mostly.  _ And they couldn’t very well hide, they had a huge, shining crown with them! Yes, he’d find them soon, and return with them, and then maybe he’d get a more decent guard dog position. 

He heard some leaves rustling ahead of him, and paused a moment, sniffing the air. Well,  _ something  _ was coming! He leapt behind a tree, tensing and pressing up against it, stilling his breath and trying to be as quiet as possible. The rustling stopped, but footsteps continued- so they were in the open! Buttons leapt out from behind the tree, giving a loud and fierce  _ bark! _

A tall woman just stared down at him, raising an eyebrow in surprise. Buttons sighed- not who he was looking for, then. He really had to start stopping to process the scents he picked up instead of just jumping out. He sat and scratched himself, letting his ears flop. 

“Oh, uh, hello dog.” said the woman, a bit of disdain in her voice. Buttons looked up, wondering if maybe she’d pet him a little at least, but she said, “Sorry, not a huge fan of animals. Shed too much.” 

Buttons narrowed his eyes. He did  _ not _ shed too much! Only a natural amount. 

The woman knelt, though, and looked at his collar and harness, running a hand over the Warnerstock sun, emblazoning his uniform. “A palace dog, then.” then, to his surprise, her eyes widened with fear, and she said, “Why are you here?” 

Buttons cocked his head to the side, a bit confused. The woman then muttered, “Dottie,” and took off running in the direction from whence she came. 

He stared after her, more confused than he’d ever felt in his life. 

Humans sure were weird. 

Buttons continued off into the woods, and so he didn’t get to see the woman race back to a tower in terror, claw her way up a ladder she’d stored safely behind an old rock, and then race around the small home, realizing her magic had disappeared again. And he didn’t get to see her find what it seemed the entire palace staff was searching for in a small flowerpot, giving her some clue as to what was going on… 

Wakko waited outside the door to the hospital rooms, fiddling with his shirt again. He’d just been through another class, except this teacher was even stricter than normal because of the day’s events. He was waiting for Hello Nurse, because he wanted to go out in the garden; she didn’t have the authority to let him do that, but she could ask the council, and they’d listen to her if she said something about how it was for his lungs or his mental health or something like that. He knew they usually wouldn’t let him out when they were on high alert like this, but… he couldn’t stay inside. Every hall seemed to be closing in on him, and with Yakko busy, it all felt empty and still. He just wanted to go out and tend mother and father’s flowers, and look up at the sky. 

Someone had an appointment with Nurse, though, so he’d wait until they were done. It felt like he’d been doing nothing but wait all day, but once he was outside, he could have some fun, even by himself. Maybe he could befriend some insects or birds again, they seemed to like him. But, really, how  _ long _ was this going to take? 

He pressed an ear against the door. This door was thinner than the one for the council, so he’d be able to hear a bit more clearly. Nurse was talking with someone- oh, more than one person, that’d explain why she was taking so long. Did a bunch of people have an accident? No, they sounded more like they were having a conversation. 

“-fixing the skylight as we speak. We can’t imagine how they managed to get on the roof, our patrols circle the castle…” 

Oh, of course. They were talking about the crown. Wakko slumped, wondering why they couldn’t do something  _ else. _ Well… he knew in his  _ head _ it was a big deal, but if  _ he _ still had to go to class and think about other things, everyone else should, too. It was only fair. 

“...couldn’t have come at a worse time.” Hold on, that was Scratchansniff’s voice. Oh, he and some of his council friends must be talking to Nurse. She was very close with all of them, that made sense… 

“You mean because of the celebration tomorrow?” There was Nurse! Her voice was so soft, it made Wakko smile again, even as he pressed against the door to hear more. 

“It’s not just that…” Of course it wouldn’t be, really, it wasn’t like they brought out the crown for the lanterns. Maybe it would have something to do with morale? But Wakko was sure the news of thievery wouldn’t leave the castle. Well,  _ reasonably  _ sure. He hasn’t really been outside the castle enough to know how rumors would spread. 

“It’s about the report.” 

“It arrived?” 

_ Hold on, this was new.  _

“From the Emerald Coast.”  _ That beach town?  _

“And…?” 

“They’re sure. They identified the cargo that washed up.” 

_ Cargo?  _ Wakko blinked, and then a dark thought came to him, and he wanted to pull away from the door, and not hear any more. 

But it was too late, and before he could get his body to move, he heard them say, “It’s from their majesties’ ship. Water-logged, ripped- definitely went down in a storm. It seems a few months old, meaning it must have sunk early on in their journey. So… now it’s official; they couldn’t have survived that long.”

“God rest their souls-” 

Wakko ripped himself away from the door, which caused him to fall back and crash onto the floor with a loud  _ thump.  _

And they heard that, of course they did, and the door flung open. Nurse bent down in front of him. “Wakko! Wakko, you didn’t-?” 

Wakko stared up at her, and then let out a wail, turned, and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him. 


	8. The Snuggly Pigeon

**CHAPTER EIGHT - THE SNUGGLY PIGEON**

“It’s just around the next bend.” Brain promised, laying on the girl’s shoulder and pointing ahead on the path. 

Dot didn’t look up yet, instead hopping between the different stones that made up the road, laughing and spinning. It was a little bit dizzying for the mice, but Pinky seemed to be enjoying it along with her. It was a bit adorable, not that Brain would admit to feeling such a way in a million years. Behind them trailed Rita, who seemed to mainly be enjoying the sunlight above them. 

They turned the bend, and Brain pointed. “Ah! There it is! _The Snuggly Pigeon!”_

Dot glanced up at the tavern ahead of them. It looked nice and small, with fresh wood and a lot of windows and a brightly painted pigeon above the door. 

“Is that what a _house_ looks like?” Dot asked, gaping. 

“Yes, it’s much closer to the ground than you’re used to.” Brain said. “I think you’ll quite enjoy it. It’s a nice, quiet, _safe_ place.” 

“But Brain,” Pinky said, cocking his head to the side, “Isn’t this the place where-” 

Brain used a stand of Dot’s fur to swing over to her other shoulder and slap a hand over Pinky’s mouth. “-where dreams come true. Or, at least, in regards to the delightful meals they serve! After all, we don’t want you getting scared and giving up on this whole endeavor, now, do we?” 

Dot considered. “Well, I’m trying a lot of new things today! Why not a sit-down restaurant? I read they’re nice and cozy!” 

“And this is the… nicest and coziest.” Brain said. 

“If you don’t mind, I’ve had quite enough of buildings.” Rita said. “I’ll hang out by the door til you’re ready to go, okay?” 

“Alright, Riri.” Dot giggled. She skipped up ahead, and Rita wandered around the building, looking for a nice place to nap. “She’s really sweet, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” Brain muttered, “As sweet as an unripe guava.” 

Dot sighed and knocked on the door. She waited a moment, before Brain informed her that she’d have to open it herself. She let it swing open, and then immediately leapt back and screamed. 

The inside of the pub had decent enough decorations- lanterns hanging from the ceiling to provide light, a piano in the corner, a polished bar with beautiful glasses on the shelf behind it. What _wasn’t_ to Dot’s liking, however, was everyone inside. 

The barstools were filled with probably the most stereotypical ruffians and thugs she could think of. Tall, buff people sat at the barstools, turning to glare at whoever had opened the door and let in the sunlight. One blonde man was bigger than Dot could have imagined a human could be, and as she watched, he flexed the sleeves of his shirt off. Sitting at tables were more dangerous-looking people who were now staring right at her, including a frightening man stroking a bunny like a bond villain, a large-eyed toon with a strange giggle, some kind of mime, and what looked like a giant chicken. And above them, on every rafter, every empty shelf… pigeons. Tons, and tons of staring, glaring pigeons, their eyes boring into her, making her feel smaller than they were. 

“Ah, would you look at this place? Even better than when we chased out Snowball last.” Brain said. 

“Egad, Brain, it’s gorgeous!” Pinky agreed. 

Brain grabbed onto a strand of Dot’s fur and tugged it forwards, and almost unconsciously, Dot stumbled forwards, shaking uncontrollably, her eyes darting between every corner of the room, every shadow. 

“My, have you ever seen so many fine, upstanding citizens?” Brain said, leaning against her neck. “Take a deep breath. Do you smell that? What is that enticing smell, Pinky?” 

Pinky sniffed, as Dot stumbled over a floorboard and nearly cried. “Hmm. I think it’s sweat!” 

“Ah, well, that could be it. I thought it smelled more like dried blood. What about you, child? What do you believe it smells like more?” 

Someone turned, and Dot screeched and stumbled back into the bar. Brain grabbed Pinky’s hand to help him off of her shoulder and onto the countertop. Dot took off running for a corner, and one thug glanced down at the thirty feet of fur trailing after her. “Dat’s a lotta fur.” he said, in a thick accent. 

“She’s growing it out.” Brain said simply. He then turned and said, “My good sir, is that blood in your hair? Child, come over here and look at all the blood in his hair! It’s mighty impressive!” 

Dot, trying not to look, ran into the back of a tall woman, and then leapt back, pulling her mallet out of thin air and holding it in front of her like a shield. She stepped away slowly, almost tripping over her own hair. When she was close enough to the counter, Brain scrambled over near her, and put on a face of false concern. 

“Oh, dear, you do _not_ look happy.” he observed. “Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?” 

“I think so, Brain,” Pinky said, while sliding in an empty wine glass, “But where would we get a magic carpet in this economy?” 

Brain ignored him. “You know, child, if you don’t think you can handle a five-star establishment such as this, perhaps we better return you home. After all,” he said as he began walking back across the countertop, “It must be _much_ safer in your watertower.” 

But before Brain could take another step, he suddenly leapt back as a pigeon from the rafters landed in front of him with a great _slam._ The light blue pigeon peered at him, then turned and pulled a wanted poster out from beneath the counter, laying it in front of them. 

“Oi. This you?” 

Brain glanced down at the poster, with the word THIEVES written beneath a clear sketch of him and Pinky. Pinky jumped beside him, peered over, and said, “Ha! Brain, they got your nose wrong! Poit!” 

Brain deflated, and muttered, “Pinky, remind me why I married you.” 

“Technically we eloped. Narf!” 

Another pigeon landed behind them. “Oh, that’s them! Someone tell Runt to call the guards! There’s a fancy reward for those two!” 

“Now, now, gentlemen-” Brain began. 

“Hold on!” said the wide-eyed toon at the table. “Who’s _gettin_ that reward?” 

“I’m not splittin’ it!” said the ripped blonde man, who grabbed the mice in his hand. 

He then screamed as a pigeon landed on his head, pecking at his face to make him let go, to which another pigeon grabbed the rodents. “We saw ‘em first!” 

“We’re broke!” shouted three mice, tackling the pigeon. 

Before they knew it, there was an all-out brawl, with swooping pigeons and fists flying. Dot screeched and backed up against a wall, still holding her mallet in front of her, and after a moment, she shouted, “Hey! _Hey!”_

She was unheard under the shouts of “Let go!” and “Pesto, calm down!” and _“Dat’s it!”_

“Hey, leave em alone!” Dot tried swinging her mallet, but nobody seemed to notice her. “Give me back my guys! Yo! Hey!” 

The fight continued on, and so she glanced up, eventually noticing a loose beam. She threw her fur up, looping around it, and then yanked down. The beam went flying, and landed right on the head of one of the tallest ruffians. With his yowl, the fighting ceased, and everyone immediately froze and turned towards the little girl. 

“Put them _down!”_ Dot shouted, holding her mallet higher. The stares continued, and she glanced over to see Pinky and the Brain, held up by a tall toon with a toupee; they also were staring at her, but more in amazement and concern than everyone’s unreadable glares. 

Dot took a deep breath, and then lowered her mallet. “Look! Okay, I don’t know where I am, or who you all are, or why you look so terrifying and have absolutely no fashion sense, but I _need_ these mice to take me to see the lanterns because I’ve been _dreaming_ about them my whole life! Look inside yourselves, you horrible brutes! Haven’t you ever had a dream?” 

There was a pause, and then a gray pigeon said, “I’m confused. Is she insulting us or not?” 

The thugs began to mumble amongst themselves for a moment, but the whispers ceased when a large, elderly pigeon flapped down from the rafters and landed atop a table. All at once, the ruffians bowed or knelt, showing respect. Dot, confused, stood and blinked at the pigeon, as the light blue one flapped over beside him. 

The elderly pigeon then opened his mouth and began to speak, but his strange murmurs were indistinguishable to Dot’s ears. She even held them up to see if they’d flopped over too much but, no, she had no idea what he was saying. 

Thankfully, the blue pigeon turned and said, “The Godpigeon says that he had a dream once.” 

Dot blinked, and then smiled. “See! That’s what I’m talking about!” 

The Godpigeon muttered something again, and then the blue bird said, “The Godpigeon says that we should let the cute little girl keep talking.” 

“Oh, that’s right.” Dot threw her mallet off to the side, and then leapt atop the piano in the corner. She leaned over, letting her tail hit a few notes, before she said, “I’m cute! And I _am_ gonna keep talking! Did you know tomorrow’s my birthday?” 

_“No.”_ gasped the gray pigeon. 

“How old are you turning?” a ruffian asked, sitting on the piano bench. 

“This many!” Dot held up ten fingers. (She may have had to summon a few extra, but who cared?) Everyone _aaw_ ed, and she flopped onto her stomach on the piano, before rolling over towards the thug who’d sat down. “You know what? We should hear _everyone’s_ dream! Not just mine!” 

“That’s not gonna boost our street cred.” the thug said. 

Dot blinked her eyes, and then made them as wide and round as she possibly could. _“Please-y weezie?”_

“Aw, screw it.” the thug said, before beginning to play. 

Once the music started, Dot dashed over to the mice, slowly plucking them away from the ruffians, before leaping back onto the piano, dropping them beside her and tilting her head to the music. 

“What on Earth…?” Brain muttered. 

“Easy, Brainy.” Dot whispered, as a thug leaped atop the counter and began declaring her desire to sing opera. “Get them relating to you, they’ll chill out.” 

Brain blinked. “How would _you_ know that? You haven’t been around people.” 

“I’ve read books.” Dot flapped her arm. “And trust me, I’ve thought out how to manipulate _every_ evil witch into eating their own poison apple.” 

“You are _good.”_ Pinky said, impressed. “Zoit!” 

“Zoit to you, too.” Dot winked as another ruffian leapt on a table and began describing his desire to blow up the planet to get a better view of Venus. 

She eventually slid from the piano, just as the door swung open, and a large, fluffy mutt burst in, Rita riding on his back. The dog slid to a stop in front of Dot, his small tail wagging, and he said, “Hi! I’m Runt!” 

“This,” Rita said, throwing out her arm, “Is my new best friend. Helped him get out of a crate he got stuck in. To be honest, I thought he was a cat-” 

“Cat?” Runt perked up, and began to spin in a circle. “Where’s the cat?” 

“He’s not that bright.” Rita said, completely unnerved. 

“Ooh, I’ve never seen a dog before.” Dot said. 

“Aren’t you a dog?” Pinky asked. 

“Who knows?” Dot shrugged, before reaching out her hand. Runt came over, and Dot began to pet his head, scratching behind his ears. “Hey! I like dogs!” 

“I can _not_ believe this.” Brain muttered, eyes wide at the partying thugs. 

“Me neither.” Rita licked her paw. “I leave you alone for five minutes and you already redeemed a bunch of hardened criminals. I assume that’s what these are?” 

“Oh, definitely. Definitely hardened criminals!” Runt said. 

Dot giggled. “They’re not so bad.” she turned and jumped back atop the piano, kicking her legs. “And this dude can carry a _beat!”_

“Thanks!” he said. “Being a concert pianist is my passion.” 

“Being a what now, sweetie?” Dot said, blinking. 

“Concert pianist!” 

Dot smirked, turned to Rita, and blew her a kiss, muttering, _“Goodnight, Rita!”_ though she wasn’t entirely sure why. It made Rita smile, though, and Runt began to wag his tail and bounce. 

“Hey, what about the wanted mice?” the purple pigeon asked, flapping over and flying beside Dot’s head. “What’re your dreams?” 

Brain sighed, sliding off of Dot’s shoulder and sitting down with a huff on the piano. Pinky, meanwhile, bounced and said, “Oh! Last night I dreamed that I ate a bear!” 

The whole bar cheered. 

Pinky slid down Dot’s fur. “But really, my bestest dream is that everyone will be happy and ride on rainbows!” 

“That sounds _amazing!”_ Dot cheered, throwing her arms up. “What about you, Brain?” 

“Oh, no.” Brain shook his head. “I refuse to partake in this.” 

The purple pigeon flapped beside him, raising a wing shaped like a fist, and said, “Say that again and I knock your brains out.” 

Brain took a deep breath. “I’d like to rule the world?” 

“Try harder.” 

“Hmm.” Brain considered. “A private island where nobody can talk to me would be nice.” 

“With rainbows!” Pinky cheered. 

“As for me!” Dot stood on the piano, spreading her arms. “I’m off to see the lanterns _fly_ up in the sky! You have no _idea_ how pumped I am- ditching the tower was the best thing I’ve ever done!” 

She then leapt up and began swinging from the chandelier, letting her fur fly out, as the beat grew faster. Pinky spun Brain in a dance while his partner rolled his eyes, and everyone let out cheers and hollers. 

Dot eventually pirouetted back down, landing on the countertop and crossing her legs. “And _that’s_ how it’s done.” 

“Nice work, kiddo.” Rita laughed, curling up beside her. 

“Definitely! Definitely a good job!” Runt added. 

Dot petted them both, and then said, “By the way, Runt, why _are_ you here?” 

“Oh, I work here! I bark when the guard comes by!” Runt then sniffed the air, and then paused. “Oh. I think I should be barking now.”

Brain immediately spun away from Pinky and shouted, _“What?”_

Runt cocked his head, and then said, “Yeah, definitely. Definitely guards.” 

Brain grabbed Pinky’s arm and jumped him over towards Dot, who scooped them up and slid behind the counter, just as the door blasted open. 

_“Where’re the thieves? Where are they?”_

The gray pigeon looked up. “Er, you’re gonna have to be more specific, buddy.” 

Dot crouched, grabbing her hair and yanking it all up as fast as she could, hoping there was enough space behind the counter to hide it all and that nobody would notice it sliding back towards them. “Why do they hate you, again?” 

“We stole the crown, narf!” Pinky said. 

“Quiet, Pinky!” 

“You _stole_ that?” Rita hissed. 

“Yo.” they jumped and turned, to see the blue pigeon beside them. He made a _shh_ motion, and then gestured for them to follow him. The small gang glanced to each other, and then shrugged- what did they have to lose? Dot crawled after him, as the blue pigeon led them to a spot just between the piano and counter, barely shielded from view. There, the purple pigeon flicked a lever, and a small trapdoor opened. 

“A tunnel system.” Pinky whistled. “I did always wonder how people kept escaping the cops here.” 

“Go on.” the blue pigeon said, gesturing. “Live your dream.” 

“Oh, I will.” Brain said. 

“Your dream stinks.” the purple pigeon said bluntly. “We’re talkin’ to Pinky.” 

“Narf!” 


	9. Needed Conversations

**CHAPTER NINE - NEEDED CONVERSATIONS**

“We,  _ uh, _ know the mice are here.” said the head guard, though he scratched his head. “At least, that’s what our lead said. Yeah.” 

“Your lead was wrong. These are the only mice we’ve got.” said Bobby the pigeon, gesturing to the group at the corner table. “And their worst crime is disrespecting the great  _ Don Quixote.”  _

“I’m, uuuh, not sure what that is.” 

“Of course you’re not.” Bobby rolled his eyes. “Please direct all further questions to our legal advisor.” He gestured his wing towards the left, where the Mime stood and waved jovially. 

“Ralph, can we just go?” a guard asked. “This place smells like sweat.” 

“I think it smells more like blood.” piped up another guard. 

Pesto leaned over to Squit and whispered, “How do these clowns keep arrestin’ our guys?” 

Just as he finished speaking, the door banged open again. 

“Hey, stop doin that!” Bobby shouted. “Do you know how hard it is to install door hinges when you’re a pigeon?” 

They turned to the doorway, only to see a german shepherd enter, sniffing the ground. 

“Oh, hey, guys!” Ralph called. “It’s Buttons! Where have you been, Buttons?” 

Buttons did not look up, only continuing to follow whatever scent he’d picked up. Finally, he edged between the piano and the counter, glancing around the wall. He jumped up and pulled down a lever, opening a trapdoor- one he promptly fell through. 

“Ah-ha! We found a trapdoor!” Ralph shouted, as the dog plummeted. “Let’s go get em!” 

Buttons landed on the dirt of the dark tunnel, and sighed as he heard the guards cheer behind him. Why did he still work here, really? Was the pay worth it? 

Wakko stopped running only when he found somewhere he figured nobody would find him. 

He knew people were following him, but at this point he didn’t care even if they set off the bell again. He just wanted to be somewhere, alone, where nobody could say anything to him and he could pretend everything was alright and nothing hurt anymore. 

When he was sure he’d lost anyone following him- a skill he’d developed well over the years- he finally ran to the one place nobody would look, threw open the door, shut it behind him, and then ran to the corner of his baby sister’s room and collapsed in on himself, grabbing himself tight and pinching to try and bring himself out of this panicked state. 

He tugged on his ears until it hurt, and flopped onto the floor, and did whatever he could think to drag him back to the moment. But he couldn’t stop his breath from coming only in short, staggered gasps, nor could he stop his heart from pounding against his chest. 

Although he couldn’t, yet make himself cry. 

He didn’t know why. Maybe he’d spent all his tears for today a few hours ago, when the alarm went off. Or maybe, deep inside, he’d always known this was going to happen, that they were  _ never _ coming back. He’d cried the day that the council had told them that their ship had not arrived where it was expected to, and the day they told them that they would’ve met a storm, and the day they told them that, for all intents and purposes, their parents were gone forever. He’d cried so much over them, maybe he had no more tears left. 

But what if that was  _ worse?  _ Was it worse to  _ not _ cry upon finding out… finding out that it was  _ certain,  _ that there was no doubt anymore? He’d never garden with Mother again or read with Father again, or race down the halls to get their attention, or give them a kiss goodnight, or wait outside their doors in hopes they’d stop whatever they were doing and talk to him. He’d waited outside their doors  _ so much,  _ but he’d thought it was worth it for the times when they would pick him up and carry him off, to play a game or get something sweet to eat. He could even stand the times he fell asleep before they finished what they were doing, meaning he didn’t see them that day at all, or the times they opened the door and got upset, shouting that he should be in his room, he shouldn’t be going anywhere without an escort… 

_ Stop thinking about that! _ He didn’t want to think about bad times, not when he should be thinking about the good. That’s what was supposed to happen when people died. You were supposed to suddenly understand everything they ever did, suddenly realize that everything about them was perfect. He should be  _ missing them!  _ He should cry! He should cry over his  _ parents being dead! _

But instead, he just struggled to breathe, curled up in the corner of the lost princess’s room. 

He’d only started cleaning the room last year, when Mother left on her journey. He was the only one who knew she used to pop in here and make things nice for when their little sister would come home. And he kept it up while she was gone, so that she’d be happy to find it alright when she returned. Or if their little sister came back while she and Father were gone. If she came back, she… she’d love to see her room, how they’d kept it up for her, how… 

It took Wakko several minutes to calm down enough to stand, several minutes of tugging his ears and his tail and kicking his legs into the wall. But finally, the silence of the room overrode the panic of his mind, and his breath slowed and became more steady. He finally got up, still shaking slightly. He’d probably be in trouble for running away, he figured. Or listening in. He probably deserved it, he shouldn’t have been eavesdropping… 

He glanced around the room, and then whimpered slightly, before staggering over to the crib. He spun the mobile again, letting the music tinker out. Then, slowly, he went to the bookshelf, and began taking books down. Most of them he kept, mainly fairytales or general history books, but some were for babies, like reading or color-spotting, and he put those in the corner. He could replace them with some of the old ones from his room. 

He got the broom out and swept again, though there wasn’t anything to clean, and opened the curtains so the sun could shine in as much as it wanted. He dragged a chest from the closet and put anything that looked too babyish inside, like building blocks or giant puzzle pieces- and, yeah, he might’ve eaten one or two of those, but he hadn’t eaten in a while, cut him some slack. 

Finally, he made his way to the crib, and he started to drag it across the floor, as the mobile continued spinning just above him. It was a bit difficult, but he’d managed to pull it a few feet away from the wall when he heard a noise from the door. 

“Oh, Wakko…” 

Wakko froze over, staring at the crib so he wouldn’t have to look up. Then, slowly, he turned, and he saw his brother standing in the doorway. 

He could see a few tearstains on Yakko’s muzzle; he must’ve just gotten the news, too. Except he’d been able to cry, unlike his stupid brother. Wakko briefly wondered how he’d been found, and then the mobile chimed a few more notes- oh, yeah, that made noise. Probably should’ve thought of that. 

Wakko’s ears dropped with his tail, and he and Yakko, for a very long time, just stared at each other in silence. Then Yakko’s eyes drifted to the broom in the corner, to the dustpan and polisher, and to the state of the room itself, how nice it looked, how bright. 

Finally, Wakko said, “She’s going to be ten. She’s gonna need a bigger bed.” 

Yakko just blinked at him. 

“She’s… she’s too big for a crib. We never put a bigger bed in here. When she gets back she…” Wakko’s eyes flitted to the floor. “When she gets back she’s going to need a bed that fits her.” His voice broke a little, and then he said, “She’s going to want her own room, so we… we need to change it a little. She needs a bed, Yakko, I-” 

He cut himself off as he suddenly felt his brother's arms pulling him into a deep, tight hug. Wakko blinked in confusion, and a bit of shock, having not even realized that Yakko had moved. Then, slowly he reached over and hugged his brother just as tight, rocking slightly back-and-forth, letting them sway in the bright room as the mobile played on. 

Eventually they dropped to the floor, still hugging, and after a moment, Yakko pulled away just enough to put his hands on his brother’s cheeks, making sure he could look at him. 

“I can’t do much ‘ordering around’ til I’m crowned.” Yakko said. “But… but I  _ will _ get her a bed in here. Soon as possible.” 

“And… a change of clothes?” Wakko muttered. “She’s… she’s gonna probably need-” 

“Of course. Anything she’d want. For  _ when _ she comes back.” 

They embraced again, and Wakko clung to his brother’s fur, and wished he could cry right now. 

“So…” Dot said, as they walked down the dark tunnel, Rita carrying a lantern in her mouth up ahead of them, “You two not gravely injured?” 

“We’ve survived worse.” Brain said. 

“We survived Snowball!” Pinky added. 

“Who’s that?” 

“Brain’s ex.” 

“Let’s not talk about that.” Brain waved a hand. “What about you, child? That was mighty impressive.” 

“What, the cuteness?” 

“Of course not. Going right ahead and hitting one of the most dangerous criminals in Warnerstock with a beam just to get his attention.” 

“He didn’t seem that bad.” Dot shrugged. 

“You didn’t know that when you hit him!” Pinky said, standing up on her shoulder and miming a fight. “Bang! Zoom! Right in the kisser!” 

Dot laughed, something that made both mice smile. “I  _ was  _ pretty cool, wasn’t I?” 

“I don’t know if I would use the word ‘cool.’ That word refers more to temperature, and I dislike its modern transition into-” 

“It was  _ a-mazing! Zort!”  _

“Yeah.” Dot giggled. “Too weak to handle myself out there? I don’t  _ think so, Mother!  _ I whacked a dude with a mallet and I  _ will again!”  _

“Oh dear, we may have encouraged her too much.” Brain said. 

“No such thing! Poit!” 

“What  _ are _ those little things you say?” Dot asked, cocking her head to the side, which caused some of her hair to fall over Brain. 

“Just funny words that are fun to repeat.” Pinky giggled. “Brain calls it echolalia!” 

“It’s not what  _ I _ call it, it’s what the psychologist textbooks-” 

“Poit.” Dot muttered under breath, and then a bit louder. “Poit!  _ Poit!”  _

“Narf!” Pinky nodded. 

“Narf!” Dot said. “Narf, narf, narf, narf!  _ Naaaaaaaarf!” _

“Oh Lord, there’s two of them.” Brain shook his head, though he was smiling. 

Dot giggled a little. “So! You two are married?” 

“Yep!” Pinky nodded. 

“Wow.” Dot’s eyes widened. “I’ve never met married people before.”

“You really haven’t been out much.” Brain said. 

“Nope! Just me and Mama and Rita.” Dot said. “But I heard about this whole ‘marriage’ thing in fairytales. Was it fun?” 

“Oh, it’s very nice!” 

“And it’s what happens when you really love someone?” 

Brain’s face turned red, as Pinky nodded enthusiastically. 

“Then what’s with the ‘shut up’s and the bonking on the head?” Dot asked. “That doesn’t seem very nice, Brain.” 

“Oh, don’t worry, I don’t mind that at all!” Pinky giggled. “It feels all funny, really!” 

_ “Ooooh.”  _ Dot said slowly. “I honestly did not need to know that.” 

_ “But,”  _ Brain added, getting a sudden jolt of panic that they could be teaching a very bad moral to a nine-year-old, “You are aware that you should not let anyone do that to  _ you, _ correct?” 

Dot laughed and rolled her eyes. “You gonna teach me after-class lessons now, Mr Take Over the World?” 

“I have standards of morality.” Brain said. 

“What he means is he’s a big ol’ sweetie!” Pinky said. 

_ “Quiet, Pinky!” _

“So.” Dot said, pushing an ear out of her face, “How’d you two meet?” 

“Oh, no, young lady.” Brain shook his head. “We don’t disclose our woeful backstory.” 

“Aaaaw.” Dot pouted, slumping a bit as she trudged on. “How  _ come?”  _

“Brain gets sad.” Pinky nodded. 

“It’s simply not necessary intel.” Brain said. “However, I believe I speak for myself and Pinky when I say that we are becoming very interested in knowing  _ your _ past.” 

“I don’t have much.” Dot shrugged. “Birth, tower, here. What’s there to say?” 

Brain considered. “Well, there’s the hair.” 

“Rather not talk about that.” 

“And the Mother.” 

“Rather not talk about  _ that.”  _

“Frankly, I’m too frightened to ask about the cat.”

“Got stuck in my hair along with a wolf chasing her.” Dot said. “I knocked the wolf out and she stayed with me and taught me how to sing.” 

“Alright.” Brain said. “But if you’re not willing to talk about those-” 

“Nope!” 

“Then I do have one more question.” 

“Shoot.” 

“Ooh!” Pinky raised a hand. “I know! What’s your  _ favorite color?”  _

“Pink.” 

“I  _ knew it.”  _

Brain sighed and then said, “My question is as follows: if you’ve wanted to pursue these lanterns for so long, why haven’t you left your tower before?” 

“Um…” Dot bit her lip. “I need a guide, you know? Can’t go by myself and get lost. I’m terrible at directions. Can’t find my kitchen half the time, and my house is  _ completely _ open-concept.” 

“Was the cat not able to take you?” 

“Uh, Rita wanted to rest for a lot of the time after I got her, and then she was more used to the tower than the outside world, oops! Plus, she didn’t know this kingdom very well, either, she ended up here cause she fell asleep on the wrong boat.” 

“That’s quite a complicated excuse.” 

“Brain’s right!” Pinky nodded. “Are you  _ sure _ there wasn’t another reason you didn’t leave?” 

Dot shut her eyes and sighed. And then her ear perked up as she heard something behind them. “What the…” 

She turned, seeing a lantern light drawing closer. “Hey, boys? Who’s that?” 

Brain crawled over her shoulder, pushing her fur aside to get a better look. He paused, and then swore under his breath. 

“What’s  _ that _ word mean?” Dot asked. 

“It means we need to  _ run.”  _ Brain said. 

And run they did. 


	10. Drowning

**CHAPTER TEN - DROWNING**

Dot eventually picked up Rita, finding the cat a bit too slow for her liking, and held her under one arm and the lantern in the other. Pinky and Brain eventually gripped onto her hair to keep from falling off her shoulders, ending up bouncing up and down as she raced through the tunnel. They didn’t dare ask her to slow down, not when they could hear the chase behind them. Dot, for her part, was absolutely  _ terrified;  _ she had never been pursued before, and all her mother’s warnings about ruffians and thugs were pushing themselves to the forefront of her mind as she kicked up rocks and dirt and ran for the distant light of the tunnel exit. 

When they finally reached the exit, they were dismayed to find where the tunnel actually on the ledge of a canyon. Dot stumbled, looking down at the cliff they stood on and how far down it went. “Where are we? What is this?” 

Brain scurried to the top of her head, and glanced back at the thick wooden wall behind them. “That’s a dam.” He noticed a wheel turning beside it, leading to some kind of waterway. “It’s some kind of water supply, water filtration?” 

“Well, which one, mouse?” Rita snapped. 

“I don’t  _ know, _ I’m a little preoccupied with the  _ guards behind us!”  _

“Do you think they’d like to sing about their dreams?” Pinky asked. 

“Can’t take the chance.” Dot said. She kicked the lantern over the side of the canyon, letting it clatter to the ground. There were the remains of a rope ladder at the bottom, having fallen some time ago. “Okay. Okay… do you know who’s chasing us?” 

“The guards, who don’t like us.” 

They heard a bark, and turned to see a dog burst out ahead, a palace harness and collar on him. 

“Who is  _ that?”  _ Dot asked. 

“He doesn’t like us, either.” Brain said. 

“Stop ticking people off, then!” Dot sighed and dropped Rita on the ground, placing the mice on top of her, before gathering her hair up in her hands. 

“Uh, Dot?” Rita said. 

“Here, use this while I work.” Dot said. She pulled her mallet out of nowhere, dropped it in front of them, and then raced to the edge of the cliff. She then lassoed her hair again, throwing it out and onto a broken support beam. With that, she took a running start, leapt and swung, the force pulling her across the canyon and onto a far ledge. 

“We can’t use this!” Brain said, dropping beside the mallet as Buttons began to bark, and the guards neared. “We can’t even lift it.” 

“Screw it.” Rita sighed. “Grab on.” 

“What?” 

“To my  _ tail, _ mice. Grab  _ on!”  _

They swiftly did as they were told, as the knights very quickly exited the tunnel, and Rita then stood on her hind legs, grabbed the mallet, and said,  _ “Play ball!”  _

With that, she yowled and leapt forward, using a mallet to  _ whack _ aside a soldier, causing him to stumble back towards the tunnel. She leapt atop another and bopped one on the head, making them collapse, and then continued to leap and swing. Pinky and Brain held onto her tail for dear life, screaming at the top of their lungs as she went from knight to knight. 

“The trick,” she said, barely phased by their shouts, “Is that they’ve all got those stupid helmets. Just make em rattle, their heads will- oh, sugar honey iced tea.” 

She’d just knocked out Ralph, and turned to see which guards remained, only to see Buttons, facing her with a sword in his mouth. She wasted no time, beginning to parry his strikes with the mallet; the mallet, though, was wooden, so this wouldn’t last long. 

“Pinky, are you  _ pondering  _ what  _ I’m pondering?”  _ Brain shouted as they tried their best to hang onto Rita. 

“I think  _ so, _ Brain! But I dunno if I’d be up for kissing a frog!” 

“No, I was just pondering the fact that  _ this is the strangest thing we’ve ever done!”  _

Rita shouted as the mallet was knocked from her hands, and they watched as it went falling down the cliff. 

Unfortunately, the mallet hit against the support beam for the waterway, and it started to sway. Rita swore, and ducked from another strike by Buttons. 

“Riri! Catch!” Dot shouted, and Rita immediately knew what to do; she got back on all fours and ran, before leaping off the cliff and grabbing the hair that had been tossed at her. They swung down, but too far from the ground to make a safe jump; eventually the hair wrapped under another waterway and threw them up, and Rita took the chance and jumped, managing to land them in the middle of the water. 

“Everyone alive?” she asked, as the water lapped over her pays and wood swayed beneath them. 

Brain screamed into her fur. 

“Good.” 

Dot, from her perch, glanced down to make sure they’d made it, and then heard a thumping behind her. She turned, to see that several guards had gotten back up and were swinging their swords at a beam near them. It crashed down, the far end landing just at her feet and making an effective bridge to her. Dot cracked her hair, and then turned, looking for something to wrap. “I’m going for your pipe!” she shouted at Rita. “So  _ move!”  _

Rita nodded and took off running down the pipe, sliding through the rushing water. Dot lassoed her hair a few times, trying to focus and make the perfect shot, and then she threw, and the edge of her hair wrapped around the wood, right where her cat had been just a minute before. Dot glanced behind her, seeing that dog at the forefront, soldiers behind him, and wasted no more time. She leapt, and once again felt the wind under her as she swung. She shut her eyes, allowing herself a small smile; sure, it was a stressful situation, but swinging like this? It was heavenly. 

She got low enough to skid to the floor, just as Rita jumped off the edge of the pipe and onto her shoulders. Dot collected her hair, and then froze, looking up at the creaking pipes above them. After a moment, they toppled, and Dot shouted and ran the opposite way, clutching her companions to her chest. 

The singular pipe wasn’t the only thing that toppled; the mallet and makeshift bridge had weakened the structural support as well, and all that combined didn’t end well. The wood wall that held up the dam creaked and groaned in a very loud, unsettling way, and Dot turned back just in time to see the wall shatter, water bursting forth. 

“Great Noah’s Ark, we gotta  _ move!”  _ she shouted. 

She looked across the stone walls, hearing the water rush behind her. It wouldn’t take long to reach them, she figured, and it was getting louder and louder. As droplets began to spray onto her fur, she spotted a hole in the cavern walls, covered with a few spare wooden boards, that looked like an exit. She couldn’t see any other routes, so she pressed forward, running to the hole. 

“Uh, Dot?” Pinky said. 

She took a chance to glance back again, and saw that the insane amount of water was pressing against a tall stone pillar, which was creaking and swaying, looking like it was to fall on top of them. 

“You try running with thirty feet of hair tryna trip you up!” Dot shouted, throwing her head back so her ears didn’t obstruct her vision and running for the doorway. Finally, just as the water started to lap her paws, she reached it, and they dove inside just as the stone came crashing down, turning the cavern pitch-black. 

But the stone didn’t cover the entrance completely, and water began to spray through. Dot had fallen on the ground, letting everyone else drop on top of her, but as she noticed the water, she pushed them off of her and ran ahead, looking for a light that signified an exit. 

There was nothing. 

She reached a thick wall of fallen rocks, and she pressed against it, trying to loosen one. “Come on, come  _ on!”  _

The water filled up fast, and Pinky and Brain had to climb on Rita’s back to stay afloat. Rita swam to the rock wall, beginning to claw against each stone. Eventually, Brain dove into the water, trying to find something beneath; Dot could hear him surface and dive again over and over as she pounded her fists against the rocks, screaming. 

Brain finally resurfaced and ran for the wall, as he and Pinky scrambled for a hole that might be small enough for them to manipulate. Brain hit the stones at the roof and tried to pry them aside, only to be sent flying back. He splashed into the water, and Rita dove and fetched him, dragging him back to the stone and letting Pinky lift him towards a higher level. 

“Brain! Oh, Brain, you got a cut.” Pinky said, looking at blood that had appeared on Brain’s side. 

“It doesn’t matter-” 

“We have to do something!” Dot shouted. 

“It’s no use!” Brain said. “It’s too dark in the water, you can’t see a thing.” 

Dot considered, glancing nervously in all directions, before leaping in herself, surrounding herself in water. It was a new experience for her, and not a good first try, because Brain was right- she couldn’t see a single thing in that water, it felt like she’d thrown herself into the void, into the night itself. 

She surfaced, and Brain and Rita managed to grab part of her fur and yank her back to the wall. They climbed as high as they could, still pulling and kicking, but the water kept flowing in, and soon was at their feet again. 

Dot stared into space, and then in all directions again, spinning, trying to find some way out. There had to be a way out. There was always… 

The water hit her knees, and she started to cry. Her companions turned to her, and she could see the distress in their eyes, which only made her cry harder. “This is  _ all my fault.”  _ she said, shivering. “I should never have left.” The water lapped towards the top of her legs, dampening her skirt. “I’m  _ sorry.”  _ she managed to say. “I’m sorry! You shouldn’t be here. You should be trying to… to take over the world, or whatever it is you said…” 

“It was pointless.” Brain whispered, leaning up against Pinky and watching the waters rise. “We would never have been anything more than…” he shut his eyes. “More than experiments, anyway.” 

“What?” Dot whimpered. 

“Rats to be used for scientific or magical studies. Released into diseased populations, tossed into a maze to see if we could get out before we starved…” Brain muttered. 

Rita sighed, and curled against her rock, letting the water soak her tail. “If we’re spilling last minute heartfelt secrets? I don’t hate any of you. I think you all are actually the most decent people in this world I’ve ever met.” 

Dot sighed, leaned against the rocks as the water reached her chest, and then admitted, “I have magic fur that glows when I sing.” 

There was a deathly silence. And then… 

“You  _ what?”  _ Brain said. 

Dot’s eyes flew open, realization coming to her. “I have… magic  _ fur _ that  _ glows when I sing!”  _ With that, she raised her chin above the rapidly rising water, and sang as loud as she could,  _ “Flower, gleam and glow, let your power shine-”  _

She was cut off, but just as the water raised above her head, the magic worked. 

Pinky and the Brain let out startled gasps as, indeed, Dot’s fur began to glow, spreading through all thirty feet. Dot, however, wasted no time. She grabbed the mice, shoving them towards her hair until they grabbed on, and then she made sure Rita had done the same before swimming down, scanning the rocks surrounding them. Her fur spread in a circle around her, and seemed to end… there! A hole in the rocks, something loose. Dot swam down as fast as she could, and lifted the first rock, tossing it aside. Thank heaven, it moved. She tossed another, and began pulling and kicking and shoving the rocks, her breath running low. 

Finally, they began to tumble, and she finally  _ shoved _ herself forwards. 

The rocks fell, and she had a moment to breathe in the air before they collapsed into a stream. 

For a moment, she was underwater again, and then she kicked herself to the surface, swimming desperately for the shore. She grabbed onto the nearby grass, pulling herself onto the riverbed, and soon her companions surfaced behind her, still holding tight to her fur. She reached back and placed the mice on the shore, as Rita managed to crawl to the ground herself. 

They coughed and sputtered a moment, taking in all the breath they could. 

Then… 

“We’re alive.” Dot gasped. 

“Her fur glows.” Brain said, staring up at the sky. 

“We’re  _ alive!”  _ Dot took off running across the grass, happier than ever before to feel it under her paws. 

“I didn’t see that coming.” Pinky said. 

_ “We’re alive!”  _

“Her hair glows!” Brain repeated. 

Dot sat atop a large rock, beginning to ring out her hair, and she laughed. “Brain!” 

“Her hair actually glows!” 

“Brain!”

_ “Why does her hair glow?”  _

_ “Brain!”  _

Brain finally snapped his attention to the side, as Dot gathered her damp hair up from the churning river. She smiled over at him, pushing an ear out of her face, and then she said, “It doesn’t  _ just _ glow.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know y'all get antsy when we don't see Our Boys but don't worry, we gotta get through the Tangled movie and I'm pretty proud of the chapters in that segment! And then after that, with the series, our boys will be in it..... quite a lot......


	11. Campfire

**CHAPTER ELEVEN - CAMPFIRE**

“So,” Brain said, “You are being strangely cryptic as you tie your glowing fur around my injuries.” 

“Shh.” Dot said. 

They’d managed to set up a campfire- no easy feat, when one of them had never been outside, one of them was a cat, and two of them were too small to carry wood. But by the time they’d gotten enough to warm them, the sky had grown dark, and Dot had wrapped the end of her hair around the cut on Brain’s side, meaning the poor mouse was basically surrounded in fur. 

“Yes, shh, Brain. Let her work her magic!” Pinky said. 

“It’s not magic, Pinky, it’s got to be some form of science.” Brain rolled his eyes. “Magic is just science that has not been understood. Now-” 

“Shh!” Dot insisted, and Brain finally shut up. 

Dot finished wrapping, and then sat on the log across from the mice. She glanced at Rita, who was curled by the fire, and then back at the mice. “Okay, so… don’t… _freak out,_ okay?” 

Neither mouse responded, and so Dot took another long breath, before staring down at the ground. She shut her eyes, so she wouldn’t have to see their reactions, and then she sang. 

_“Flower, gleam and glow…_

_Let your power shine…”_

The glow began at the tips of her ears, and then began to spread, until her golden fur was shining in the night. Once her body was illuminated, it began to spread down the length of her hair. 

_“Make the clock reverse…_

_Bring back what once was mine…”_

The light spread past Rita, who simply looked up at Brain with a smirk and gestured to his side. Brain, confused, watched the glow with apprehension as it neared him. 

_“Heal what has been hurt…_

_Change the fate’s design…”_

The glow finally surrounded him, and he felt a warm, light feeling in his body. A calmness. A peace. 

_“Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what once was mine…_

_What once was mine…”_

When Dot ceased her singing, her hair slowly dimmed. And then she glanced up, a spark of fear in her eyes. 

Slowly, Pinky helped Brain unwrap himself from the hair. Then they both stared, shocked, at his side, where the wound had completely vanished. No trace of blood even remained. 

“Cool.” was what Pinky said. 

Brain, meanwhile, stared down at it, then up at Dot, then back down to his side, then up to Dot, and then he opened his mouth… 

_“Pleasedon’tfreakout!”_ Dot shouted, holding out her hands, eyes widening in terror. 

Brain choked back the scream he was about to emit, and then said, “Uuuh, um, I… I wasn’t going to, as you say, ‘freak out,’” he then began speaking very fast, “I’m just very confused and concerned about your luminescent hair activated by song and the healing qualities that it possesses. How long, exactly, has it been… _doing that?”_

“Um…” Dot giggled, twirling a lock of her hair, and then she admitted, “Forever?” 

She could see the mice still watching her, and she sighed, and then moved, sitting on the ground under their log. She pushed aside her hair, and as she did, the mice were able to see a small, black streak against the side of her head. 

“Mother says when I was a baby, people tried to cut it.” she explained. “They wanted it for themselves. But when it’s cut, it turns black and loses its power.”

She let her hair swing back over the black streak, as if ashamed of it. She glanced towards the mice, unable to make eye contact as she continued. “A gift like that, Mother says it should be… protected. From people who would use it… that’s why she never let me… why… why _I_ never left…” 

The two mice shared a look, and then slid from the log, sitting beside her. Brain put a paw on her leg, and finished for her, “You never left that tower.” 

Dot nodded, running a hand through her hair again. 

Brain looked up at her, and then said, “And you’re still going to go back?” 

“No.” Dot said immediately, and then she flinched, guilt gnawing at her. “Yes?” She groaned and pulled her ears over her eyes. “Ugh. It’s complicated.” 

The mice again shared a look. Then, slowly, Dot took one more deep breath, and then she said. “So. What was that about… mazes and experiments?” 

“Oh, you don’t want to hear all that.” Pinky waved a hand. 

Dot picked up both mice and held them in her palms, before flopping onto her stomach and looking over at them with a curious smile. 

Brain and Pinky shared a look, and then sat down. Brain sighed. “Mice like us are routinely used for scientific pursuits.” 

“And magic tests!” Pinky added. 

“They’re the _same thing--”_ Brain sighed, and then kicked his legs. “Yes, some so-called ‘spells’ are used on us as well. These experiments are usually performed on non-sentient creatures, but Pinky and I… well, we _were_ able to gain our own minds, our own thoughts. But even after that, they kept pushing.” 

“Eventually, Brain got us outta there.” Pinky said, tapping his fingers together. “We hid in the coat of one of the scientists and jumped out onto the street, and then hid on the nearest ship. We’ve been just about everywhere since, trying to find… well, some place to stay.” 

“I promised myself, and Pinky,” Brain said, grabbing Pinky’s hand, “That we’d never be out of control again. And that one day the world would be ours, and nothing like that could ever…” he trailed off, shaking his head. 

“That sucks.” Dot managed to say. 

“What about Ms Cat?” Pinky asked, waving towards Rita. 

Rita opened one eye, and then shrugged. “Not much to tell. I was a cute kitten, and then I wasn’t. When you’re not cute anymore, they kick you out on the streets. I wandered for a bit, til I got to Dot. Not a single person was nice to me, but, hey! That’s life.” 

Dot bit her lip, and then asked, “Do you think they miss you?” 

“What?” Brain asked. 

“The scientists. Do you think they _did_ like you, even a little bit, and just didn’t know how to take care of you?” she said this all very quickly, looking anywhere but at her companions. “Or your first owner, Rita, do you think he regrets tossing you out and has been searching everywhere and wants to give you a hug and tell you he loves you and…” 

She choked back another cry. Then, Pinky said, “No. I don’t think they do miss us. They miss having experiments. But they don’t miss _us._ You know what I’m saying?” 

Brain nodded, and Dot turned, wiping a tear away. “I do.” 

“Ditto.” Rita said quietly. She then stood and stretched, and said, “I’m going to go find a bush to rip up. You three don’t cause any trouble while I’m gone.” 

She scampered off, and once she did, Brain turned to his husband. “Pinky? I believe we should collect more sticks for firewood, if Dot doesn’t mind being alone for a moment or two.” 

“No, it’s fine. I need to think anyway.” Dot nodded. She placed the mice on the ground, and then sat on the log, playing with a strand of hair. 

The mice started to leave, and then she called after them. “Guys?” They turned, and she said, “I just… wanted to say that… I think I like you two a lot. And not as experiments, or even guides. Is that weird?” 

Brain surprised her by smiling slightly, and then shaking his head. “Not weird at all. Thank you.” 

Pinky shot her a thumbs-up, and then said, “Poit!” 

Dot giggled and shot him a thumbs-up back. “Poit.” she nodded.

Brain pulled Pinky into a bush, just outside of hearing range of Dot. As soon as he did, Pinky said, “Okay, so she can _not_ stay in that tower.” 

“Absolutely not.” Brain nodded. “She may be right about protecting her hair, but no child should be imprisoned in a tower forever. Her mother didn’t even stay with her!” 

“I’ll tell you what, Brain, from what Dot and Rita have said, that mother does _not_ seem like a nice lady.” 

“Not at all.” Brain said worriedly. “Of course, Dot definitely seems capable of defending herself given the situation, but she’s still very young. She’ll need somewhere safe…” 

Pinky cocked his head to the side. “Do you… want to take her with us?” 

“What other option do we have? We can’t turn her over to the guards, she’s an accomplice to us now-” 

“What do you want to do with her?” Pinky asked nervously. “I’m sure, um, hair like that could be very, er, useful in-” 

“I don’t care about her hair.” Brain waved his hand. “It doesn’t matter. We don’t have a stable home, no, but she can stay with us until we find her somewhere safe with someone who cares about her. I- I’m not sure if we’re fully equipped for the long-term, but we can’t very well let her-” 

Pinky let out a squeal of glee, and then lifted Brain into the air, spinning him around. “Oh, Brain! You want to start a _family!”_

“That is _not_ what I said!” 

Dot smiled after the two mice as they disappeared into the bushes, and then turned back to the fire, watching the sparks flicker into the night air. 

Then, from behind her, she heard, “Oh, thank goodness, I thought they’d _never_ leave.” 

Dot immediately, instinctively stiffened and leapt to her feet. She turned, staring, and… yes. Behind her was Norita, cloak spread over her shoulders. Her hair seemed to be graying in the dim light, but that may have just been the smoke. 

“M-Mother?” Dot whispered. 

“Hello, dear.” Norita snapped her fingers, smirking over. 

“H-how… how did… how did you _find_ me?” Dot asked, stepping backwards. 

“Oh, it was incredibly simple.” Norita shrugged. “I just listened for the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that.” 

Dot blinked away tears. “Mother-” 

“We’re going home, Dottie. Now.” Norita reached over and grabbed Dot’s arm, trying to pull her towards the woods. 

Dot, however, yanked her hand away. “Mama, wait! You don’t understand, I just had the _wildest_ adventure! An insane day, to be real! I even met some real nice people-” 

“Yes, the wanted criminals, every mother’s dream.” Norita said. “Now _come on.”_

Dot shook her head. “You don’t get it! I really like them, I think they really like me!” 

Norita turned and scoffed. _“Like_ you?” She began to circle Dot, as a shark circles prey, tapping her head and tossing her ears into her eyes. “Please, darling, there’s nothing for them to like. What impression have you made on them? A rebellious runaway who drags them into danger is your _best_ case scenario.” 

“I-” 

“This whole ‘new friends’ thing you’ve encountered just proves your naivete. Shows me I was right, as I always am; you’re not ready to be out here.” Norita stepped away slightly, and then extended her arms, a welcoming gesture, waiting for Dot to leap over to her. “Now, don’t be stupid. Come along, Dottie. You know that Mother knows…” 

At that, Dot snapped, her head lifting up and her eyes defiant, and she said one thing that she’d never said to her mother before. 

_“No.”_

There was a tense, dead silence again, broken only by the crackle of the fire. Then, Norita’s face darkened, and she repeated, “No?” She tossed her head back, and then said, “Oh, I see how it is. Dottie knows best, then. Dottie’s _so_ grown-up now. She knows _everything_ about the world and what happens in it.” 

Norita once again returned to Dot’s side and began to circle, running a hand through her long fur. Dot shivered. “You know _everything,_ don’t you? From your- what? Twelve hours out here? Absolutely astounding. Record time in understanding reality. Well, if you’re _really_ so smart and capable… why don’t you give your new friends what they _really_ want?” 

With that, Norita threw out her hand, and let the crown dangle. 

Dot’s eyes widened with horror, seeing herself reflected in the gems. “How did you-?” 

_“This_ is why they’re still with you.” Norita said, before thrusting the crown into the girl’s hands. She spun away, letting her back be illuminated by fire, and said, “Don’t let them deceive you. They’re only here because of what you can give them, not for any semblance of _love._ You want to prove me wrong? Give it to them. Give them the crown!” 

Dot shook her head to clear it, and said, “I will! I will, and you’ll see!” 

“Oh, we’ll see alright.” Norita said darkly. “We’ll see how fast they run off without you. And if they’re lying, don’t come crying back to me. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Dottie dear.” 

With that, Norita swung her cloak, and took off into the night. 

Dot stared after her, the crown dangling from her hands and her breath caught in her throat. That… did that just happen? No, that couldn’t have happened. She must have dreamed it. But… no. She looked down and once again saw her distorted reflection in the crown she held. She blinked away more tears, and then, slowly, walked to the logs they’d been sitting on and shoved the crown inside. 

She could figure out what to do with that in the morning. She could surprise Pinky and Brain with it, maybe. Yes, and then they’d be happy and they could move on. 

Right?


	12. The Festival Begins

**CHAPTER TWELVE - THE FESTIVAL BEGINS**

Wakko woke up early and slid out of bed, threw on his clothes, and then went to sit outside Yakko’s door. To be honest, he did take a short nap again curled up in the hall, waiting for his brother to awaken. But when he heard movement inside the room, he’d quickly awoken from his light slumber, and then he sat in the threshold, thumping his tail against the ground and staring at the door. It took Yakko quite a while to get ready, which Wakko didn’t really understand, as his preparations for the day simply involved finding a shirt that didn’t smell too much and then digging up food from his secret stash. But he supposed it was different for older kids, or maybe for future Kings, or just for Yakko’s dramatic self in general. 

The door finally opened, and Yakko didn’t even seem surprised this time that his brother was waiting for him. He shut the door, stretched, and said, “So.” 

“So.” Wakko said. 

There was a beat, and then Yakko said, “I asked that they bring a bed to her room. They… they seemed to understand, I think.”

“Yeah.” 

“And they dug out some of- some of the Mom’s childhood clothes, from the attic. And some of ours, too, in case she prefers that style.” 

“Mm-hmm.” 

Yakko sighed, and then sat in front of his brother, and finally said, “Okay, let’s admit it. Today’s the day.” 

“Ten years.” 

“Yeah.” 

Wakko bit his lip. “We’ve never done this without Mum and Daddoo before. What do we do?” 

“You know how to light the lantern, right?” 

“Yeah.” 

Yakko sighed. “So, what we do? We start the festival, and then we hide in our rooms and eat chocolate until it’s time to send the lanterns out.” 

Wakko let out a giggle. “I  _ do _ like chocolate.” 

“Then go get an early start. I’m sure the kitchens won’t mind today if you snag some extra treats.” 

“Oh, I already did swipe breakfast.” Wakko admitted. 

“I expected nothing less from you. But it’s dessert time! Go get it, and by the time you get back, I’ll probably have finished setting things up.” Yakko groaned. “Official stuff is so  _ boring.”  _

“When you’re done, do you want to hang out? Just for a little bit? I know you’ve got studies and stuff-” 

“What, that boring junk?” Yakko cracked a smile. “I’ll be fine without for a day. Go get chocolate and then stash it all in my room. Save a  _ little _ for me, though, alright?” 

Wakko nodded, hesitated, and then gave his brother another hug, before racing off to the kitchen. 

As soon as he disappeared around the bend, Yakko hugged his knees, burying his face in his arms, and tried very hard not to cry. 

Dot awoke to screaming. Instantly, she leapt up, the fur she’d wrapped around herself like a blanket bouncing up with her. She pushed her ears out of her eyes and looked up, to see that Pinky and the Brain were now running in circles around the clearing, being chased by a very angry-looking Buttons the Guard Dog. 

Dot jumped up and ran after them, shouting, “Hey! Hey!  _ Chill!”  _ As she did, Rita yawned and stretched, and then gave the situation a quick glance. She then walked to the side of the clearing, where Runt was sitting and scratching himself. 

“Hey, Runt.” Rita said, ignoring the screaming and barking just a few feet from them. 

“Hi, Rita!” Runt’s short tail began wagging again. 

“What’re you doing here?” 

“Oh, they kicked us all outta the Snuggly Pigeon. Something about crime scenes or whatever. And so I went for a walk and I found that very nice dog, very nice dog.” 

“Ah, the one who’s been chasing us.” 

“Yeah. So I just followed him cause I wasn’t sure what else to do. And now I found you again!” 

“Wonderful.” Rita stretched. “Think they’re gonna quiet down soon?” 

“Oh yeah. They’re just happy to see each other!” 

Rita turned to Runt, blinked, and then said, “You’re an enigma.” 

“I think you’re pretty cool too, Rita. Definitely, definitely pretty cool.” 

Finally, Dot managed to dive to the ground, picking the mice up in her hands. She held them up as Buttons barked and snapped, jumping up and trying to grab them from her. “No!  _ No!  _ Sit!” 

“What is  _ wrong  _ with that dog?” Brain shouted from Dot’s enclosed fists. 

“Hey!  _ Slow!”  _ Dot said. 

To her amazement, Buttons did actually start to slow, though he kept growling. She smiled; she was getting through to him! 

(Buttons, for his part, was staring past her, at the glare the gray cat was giving to him, one that looked in _ credibly  _ threatening. Normally he didn’t mind cats so much, but this one seemed like trouble.) 

“Easy, buddy.  _ Easy.”  _ Dot knelt down, letting the mice loose into the grass behind her, before turning back to the dog, now at eye-level with him. “Easy.” 

(Buttons glanced over her shoulder again. Rita gave him a sharp glare and made a slashing motion over her throat. A clear warning.) 

“Now sit.” Dot said. She stood, and gestured down.  _ “Sit.”  _

Buttons hesitated, starting to sit, before glaring over at her. 

“Dot, that’s not going to-” Brain began. 

_ “Sit.”  _ Dot repeated. 

Buttons huffed, and then sat. 

Dot squealed, and raced forward, throwing her arms around the dog and beginning to rub his fur. “Oh, you are  _ such _ a good boy! Aren’t you? You’re the best boy!” 

“Are you kidding me?” Brain said. 

Pinky hesitated only a moment before also running forward and beginning to pet Buttons’s leg. Buttons didn’t seem to notice, as his tail began thumping against the ground, and he leaned into Dot’s hand as she scratched his ears. 

“Aw, you  _ are  _ the best boy!” Dot said. “Such a good boy! Good boy, good boy!” 

Buttons began to pant, happy at the attention, and Dot pulled away just a moment and said, “Oh, are you all  _ tired _ from chasing the  _ big bad mice  _ around?” 

“Excuse me?” Brain said. 

“Shh!” Pinky said, as he continued petting Buttons’s leg. “Let the good boy get his pets!” 

“I bet nobody appreciates you, do they?” Buttons whined and shook his head. “Oh! Nobody appreciates the good boy?” She ruffled his head, and glanced down at his collar.  _ “Buttons, _ huh?” 

“Buttons  _ is _ a good boy! Narf!” 

“Dot! Pinky!” Brain said, moving over to her side. “I hate to interrupt, but, in case you’ve forgotten-” 

Buttons jumped up, knocking Pinky from his leg, and pointed his face directly at Brain, beginning a growl again. 

“Yes, exactly.” Brain said, gesturing. 

“Okay, baby boy, look.” Dot said, once again pushing the mice behind her. She flopped over, letting her fur dangle as she got eye-level with Buttons. “So, here’s the dealio. Today is kinda the  _ biggest most important day of my whole entire life.  _ And I kinda… need you to  _ not  _ get these guys arrested.” 

Buttons jumped with surprise and let out a growl. 

_ “Just  _ for twenty-four hours!” Dot assured him, before scratching his ears again, and using her other hand to rub his shoulder. “And then you can  _ chase each other  _ to your hearts’ content! Okay?” 

Buttons  _ hmmph _ ed, glaring over at the mice. 

Dot sighed, and then got inbetween them again, and stage-whispered,  _ “And _ it’s  _ also _ my birthday.  _ Just so you know.”  _

“E _ gad!”  _ Pinky shouted. “It’s your  _ birthday!  _ Oh, Brain, we forgot to get her anything!” 

“Pinky,” Brain said, putting his face in his hands, “We’re taking her to the festival. That was the-” 

“Hold on! I can fix this!” Pinky raced off into the field. 

Brain sighed, and Dot lifted him up, holding him towards Buttons. “Deal?” 

Brain then rolled his eyes and held out his hand. It was a bit small for Buttons to shake, but he did eventually sigh, flop his ears, and poke Pinky’s paw with his own. 

“Good. Now we’re getting along.” Dot put Brain back on the grass, and then turned towards Rita and Runt. “You two get over here, too.” 

Runt raced over, bouncing around the girl. “Am I a good boy, too, Dot? Am I?” 

“You’re  _ also _ a good boy!” Dot said, rubbing Runt’s ears when he paused his jumping. 

“Oh! Oh  _ I’m a good boy!”  _

Rita laid next to Buttons, giving him a side-look as she licked her paw, and said, “Good choice.” 

“Dot!  _ Dot!”  _

Dot turned, letting go of Runt just as Pinky ran up, holding the stem of a flower in his hands; the yellow petals were twice his size, dragging behind him in the dirt. He held it up for her, smiling brightly. 

“Happy birthday!” 

“Oh.” Dot gaped. She slowly reached out and took the flower, running a hand over the long stem. “This is…” 

Her ear flopped in her face, and she pushed it aside. Then, with a spark of inspiration, she pulled the flower up to her forehead, and tied the stem around her ears, holding them up like a ponytail. She adjusted the tie so that the flower was in the front, and then paused a moment, shaking her head to make sure it stayed. Yes- her ears stayed up, out of her face. 

“Pinky, thank you  _ so _ much!” she said. 

“It’s nothing.” Pinky waved a hand. 

Before Dot could say more, a distant bell rang, marking the hour. Dot’s ear perked up, listening intently, and then she stood, running and looking towards the horizon. “Where is that…?” 

She began to follow the noise, not noticing Buttons and Brain snap at each other as they followed, or Rita hop atop of Runt to fall asleep on his back. As the noise got closer, she started picking up speed, running towards something that sounded familiar, like it was calling her in a language she’d forgotten until now. 

She emerged from the trees and slid to a stop, looking ahead. Her eyes went wide as she saw the capitol of Warnerstock ahead of her, and she stared in awe at the towering, beautiful castle in the near distance. A town lay beneath it, polished buildings, painted pastel, dotted between green trees, bright flowers growing from window gardens and spouting along corner stalls for sale, while purple banners floated from flagpoles and laundry string. People milled about, of every species, smiling and observing the decorations and waving to each other. And throughout every street- lanterns. Lanterns hung from posts, from shop windows, from string wrapped around the edges of roofs. Dot stared, slack-jawed, at each lantern, decorated very carefully with the emblazoned sun.

She began to bounce hysterically, up and down and up and down and flapping her hands. Even as she finally processed the sounds of Buttons and the mice fighting behind her, and Rita shouting at them to shut up or they’d all be catfood, she couldn’t do more than stare and jump and flap and let out a happy squeal. Finally, she found her footing and rushed forward into the road, heading for the nearest stall of flowers. Just before she reached it, though, a cart burst past in front of her, racing to the other end of the street, and she jumped back, gasping, and then tripped over her own fur. She bumped into a passerby, and apologized profusely, before backing up and startling two geese. She turned, only for several civilians to step on her fur as they walked by. She flinched and yanked it back, trying to gather it all in her arms. 

Her companions finally reached her, and Runt picked up the end of her hair, carrying it over to her in an attempt to help. 

“Yeah, that could be a problem in a crowded town.” Rita said. 

Brain considered. “There must be a way to gather all her fur up in a way that enables her to move in such an area.” 

Buttons cocked his head, and then brightened. He barked excitedly, jumping up and down, and gestured for them to follow him. 

“I’m not sure if I trust like that.” Pinky said. 

“It’ll… it’ll probably be fine.” Dot shrugged. “Show us, Buttons!” 

Buttons tore through the streets until he realized he was moving much faster than everyone else, to which he fixed the problem by running in circles until they were closer to him, not wanting to slow his momentum. Finally, he led them around a block and towards a fountain in the center of the town, where he raced forward and barked. 

At the fountain, four children were sitting, braiding hair and laughing. The youngest, a little blonde girl, brightened at the sight of the dog, and raced forward, shouting, “Buttons!” 

She threw her arms around the dog and laughed, and Buttons’s tail wagged in a circle as he lapped her face. 

“Mindy! Come back!” a boy called from the fountain, as he braided the hair of a pastel girl beside him. 

Brain took a look at the complicated braids the children were doing, and then made a whistling noise to attract their attention. They turned, and upon seeing Dot’s insane length of hair, their faces brightened, smiles bigger than they’d ever seen. 

Mindy, Tinker, Cindy and Colin worked very hard layering the hair so that it wouldn’t reach too long, as Buttons and Runt chased them around, barking and wagging tails. And once the braid had been completed, they began to place flowers into her hair, decorating it in a bright, cheerful way. Pinky, Brain and Rita sat on the fountain, watching for a while, before two guards passed by and the mice ended up falling into the water in an attempt to avoid being seen. Rita fished them out just as the children finished their masterpiece, and as they shook to dry out their fur, the two mice looked up at Dot, spinning around with a layered braid that now only scraped the pavement below.. She finished her twirl and gave a curtsey to the children, saying, “Thank you  _ so so so much!”  _

“Aw, isn’t she  _ adorable, _ Brain?” Pinky said, beaming. 

“I believe you’re more of a judge than I, Pinky, but I do think she meets the standards for what it socially considered, ‘cute.’” 

Dot raced over, picked up the mice and placed them on her shoulders, and then said, “Come on! I want to see  _ everything!” _

And see everything they did! With Buttons, Rita and Runt scampering around behind them, sometimes ducking away to grab food or splash in a fountain or puddle, Dot ran around the town, stopping to beam at lanterns to flap her hands under some flags that fluttered in the light breeze, or sometimes just to spin under the sun. She’d run from stall to stall, politely looking at all the wares and complimenting the artistry. When they passed a young squirrel selling flags with the sun on them, Brain managed to dig up a few coins and grab one, before presenting it to Dot, who immediately gave him a hug so tight he had difficulty breathing. They ducked into buildings, with Dot window-shopping in general stores, admiring dresses on display in clothing stores, smelling everything at the bakeries, stopping to play with the toys on display in the toy stores, and pulling out no less than eight books at the bookstore, huddling with them by a bright window and spreading them all open so that when she got bored, she could simply switch to another story. But it was hard to get bored, with so many tales and maps and pictures. The mice leapt from book to book as she poured through, squealing and pointing and letting herself bounce and rock on the floor in joy. 

When they returned to the town square, Dot saw several children in the corner, some of them having been the ones who did her hair that day, with buckets of paint, drawing flowers on the sidewalk. Dot, excited, ran over and removed her gloves, dumping both of her hands into a can of yellow paint, and ran into the center of the square, beginning to swirl the paint. 

“What are you doing?” Brain asked, watching with interest. 

Dot waved the children over, and said, “We’re going to make the  _ biggest  _ sun in this kingdom! Come  _ on,  _ you can help with the border!” 

“Oh!” Pinky clapped his hands. “Let’s do a flower border! Come on, Brain!” He grabbed Brain’s hand and dragged him off, excited beyond belief. Soon, other people joined in, excited at this special project, and within less than an hour, the Warnerstock sun decorated the center of the square, above a dark purple, brilliant border, the colors bright and shining under their feet. 

Buttons happened to have a few coins attached to his harness, so for dinnertime they got in line for fresh-baked cinnamon rolls, which Dot had never had and thought smelled like the best things in the whole world. But halfway through the line, Dot ended up wandering towards a far wall, with a mosaic decorating it. She knelt at the side, where little Cindy was laying a flower upon a pile of several similar blooms. 

“What’cha doin, Cindy-sweetie?” Dot asked, bouncing. 

Cindy smiled up at her, and then said, in her small toddler voice, “We leave flowers for the lost princess!” 

“The what now?” 

Cindy shrugged, and Dot glanced up at the mosaic, taking a closer look. The stylistic design depicted a family of some indeterminable species; a tall man with an arm around a little boy in overalls, who seemed to be bouncing on his back paws. At his feet, a little boy in a too-big hat, tongue sticking out. Beside the man was a woman with her ears tied back, smiling down at a small, golden-furred baby girl in her arms, looking like she was giggling. 

Dot cocked her head to the side, looking closely at the mosaic. It felt familiar somehow, though she wasn’t sure from where. She reached out and ran a hand over the wall, considering. 

Then music began, a band nearby had begun a high-tempo song, and all other thoughts left her mind. 

Dot turned, eying the band, and then she raced into the center of the town square, spinning in a bright dance. She turned and leapt, spinning through the air, feeling her fur bounce off her back. As the speed picked up, she ran to Cindy and grabbed her hands, spinning her in a dance atop the sun painting just as it dried. Cindy laughed and giggled, and when Tinker and Colin came out to see what was happening, Dot raced to them and pulled them into the circle, too. When the children started dancing amongst themselves, Dot raced to a nearby toon, grabbing his hands and pulling him into the circle as well. He protested a moment, before the music overcame him and he began to dance as well. Dot ran to a woman and pulled her in, and the woman grabbed the hand of her partner, dragging them in as well. 

Within only a few moments, the town square was alive with citizens dancing under the sun and over its image. Dot managed to find Pinky and Brain, standing atop a barrel that Rita was snoozing under, and she picked them up, putting them on her shoulders. “You’re dancing, too, boys.” 

“No. No, no, no-” Brain began. 

Dot didn’t listen, and instead began twirling off into the center of the dance as well. After a moment, Rita opened an eye, shrugged, and sang quietly along with the music. Runt wagged his tail, barking and dancing on his hind legs, and Buttons began bouncing around Mindy, barking happily as the toddler spun around. 

The dancing continued for what felt like forever, as the sun began to set above. But nobody felt tired, not when the magic still continued. 

The band’s song finally began to halt, as they glanced at the time, and as their music drew to a close, Dot leapt atop the fountain, threw her hands up, and cheered. 

Everyone shouted and applauded, and Dot slid down the fountain, letting the water splash around her, as Brain and Pinky held onto her fur and laughed along with her. 

“Why’d we stop?” she asked, pouting slightly, as people started to scatter. 

Brain looked up at the sky and said, “Well, it’s almost time for the lanterns.” 

Dot’s eyes lit up in the most astonishing way, as an anticipatory smile flicked across her face. Brain and Pinky shared a smile, and then said, “How would you like to see them from the best view?” 


	13. The Light and the Dark

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN - THE LIGHT AND THE DARK**

The boats of Warnerstock were free to use for the lantern festival, so Dot clambered in, setting the mice down beside her. Pinky took the moment to go to the dock, where the dogs and cat were waiting, and pull a bag of treats from nowhere, presenting them to buttons. Buttons sniffed with disapproval, and Pinky said, “Oh, don’t worry, I got these legally! Poit!” 

Buttons relaxed and spilled the bag, sharing the treats with the others, as Dot pushed the boat off, waving at her friends as it began to travel through the water. She stared down at the lake, eyes wide, bouncing up and down with the boat. 

“Now, you don’t want to be  _ too _ hyperactive, or we’ll topple our craft.” Brain said. 

“That might be fun.” Dot said. 

“Splishy-splashy!” Pinky added. 

Dot laughed, and then looked up at the sky as the boat pressed on. Other ships filled the water, just offshore enough for the celebration, a few people running around the top deck in excitement. She eventually grabbed an oar and moved it through the water, pushing them in a circle for a while before finally finding a position she liked, right in the middle of the lake. And she looked up, as the castle towered above them, the village below, and their reflections scattered in the ripples around them. 

“It’s beautiful.” Dot gasped. 

“Wait until the lights come up! It’ll be  _ zoit!”  _ Pinky said. 

Dot laughed slightly, and then hugged herself, glancing down at the water, at her own image staring back at her. Her face fell as she considered herself, and after a moment, the mice scampered over, jumping onto her knees to look up at her. 

“Is something the matter?” Brain asked. 

Dot took a deep breath, and then said, “My  _ whole life,  _ I’ve been  _ dreaming  _ of what it might feel like to see those lanterns rise above me. What if… what if it’s not everything I dreamed it would be?” 

Brain sat down, and gave her a reassuring look. “It will be.” 

“And what if it  _ is?”  _ Dot whimpered, wrapping her tail around herself, blinking back frightened tears. “What… what do I do  _ then?”  _

There was silence a moment, before Pinky said, “Then I guess you get to go find a new dream.” 

Dot blinked down at him, and then smiled. “I like that.” 

When the sun set, Wakko and Yakko went from their room to the hall, just outside their sister’s room. They wouldn’t be seen from anything but the balcony, but they still dressed as professionally as they could- which, for them, was slightly more ironed clothes, and Yakko wrapping their father’s scarf around his neck, gripping it when nerves started to get to him. Wakko kept pulling his hat down, as if it wasn’t on tight enough, and they watched the hall clock, waiting for the right time to hit. Wakko eventually sat under the clock, imitating the  _ tick-tocks, _ which he hadn’t done since he was a little kid. Yakko then sat beside him and did the same, and they ended up giggling, calming them down just enough that they didn’t cry in the hall before they could even start the celebration. 

When it finally reached the hour, and the clock let out a chime, Wakko shivered and stood, brushing crumbs from his shirt again. Yakko stood and pulled on the scarf, and then glanced over at his brother. “Are you ready?” 

“I think so.” Wakko whimpered slightly. 

Yakko bent over to get to his brother’s eye-level, and then said, “Hey. I think Mom and Dad would be proud of you.” 

“I dunno about that.” 

“No, they would. A lot of people would’ve broken down by now. I probably would’ve without you.” 

“Naw.” Wakko shook his head. 

“No, really.” Yakko smiled. “I wouldn’t have been able to do this. After ten years of waiting… but… I’m starting to think we might be able to get mileage outta this lantern thing for at least another decade.” 

“More.” Wakko nodded. “Until she comes home, and then after, so we can show her how much we love her. We just gotta cheer up…” 

“And never, ever give up hope.” the boys both said. 

Yakko took Wakko’s hand, and they entered their sister’s room, and then to the balcony outside. Wakko sat on the floor, lighting the lantern and then lifting it in his paws. Yakko smiled sadly over at him, and then took hold of it as well. 

“One… two… three.” 

The brothers lifted the lantern, hoping that maybe this time, their sister would see the lights and follow them home. 

She was the only family they had left. 

While waiting for the lights to begin, Dot had started pulling stray flowers from her hair, letting them float in the dark water, bobbing among the stars’ reflections. She was letting a lily float away, watching its petals float between the waves, when she saw a brighter light reflected beside it. Was that a shooting star? Or…? 

Dot leapt up, almost toppling the boat, and raced to the far end, grabbing onto the mast and swinging herself around, to get as close to shore so that she could confirm… yes! Up in the sky, the first lantern had flown above. She gasped, eyes wide, as it circled through the air, and then… another lantern joined it, flying from town. And then another, and another, and another. Dot gaped, while Pinky and Brain perched themselves on the far end. Her furry braid had dipped into the water, but she didn’t care. When the boat swayed, she swayed with it, keeping her eyes on the horizon. Lantern after lantern floated into the air, and then from other boats in the water around them. Thousands upon thousands of lights, lifting above her, as if they were congregating just above her head. 

She eventually could pick out patterns and designs, as the lanterns floated above her, seeing different suns and stars painted along them. She could see the flames inside of them, flickering and spreading their light across the sky. Dot stared around as lanterns surrounded her, above and beside, flying into the sky, creating a second layer of stars. 

It was more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. 

She stared for the longest time, just watching the lights swam around her, reflecting through their lanterns in yellows and pinks and oranges. And then she turned, just in time to see Pinky and Brain finish setting up their own lantern, a pale yellow, in the center of the boat. Dot smiled softly and sat on the other end of it. “Wanna send it up?” 

“Oh, no.” Pinky said. “This one’s for you!” 

Dot blinked, and looked over at the mice. Brain didn’t look at her a moment, and then said, “Yeah. Go ahead and lift it up.” 

“It’s  _ another  _ birthday present! Zort!” 

Dot blinked, tears again at the edge of her eyes. “You don’t have to do that.” 

“Of course we do. It’s your day.” Brain mumbled. 

Dot’s face lit up, and then she said, “I have something for you, too.” She reached behind her, possibly into her braid, more likely into thin air, and then pulled out the crown. The mice stared in shock as she placed it in front of them, beside the lantern, and said, “I… I should’ve given it to you before, but I was just… scared. You know what I mean?” 

The mice shared a look, and then Brain said, “I believe we do. But you do not have to be afraid now.” 

Dot let her tears fall, and then she nodded and put her hands on the bottom of the lantern. The mice put their paws there, too, and slowly, they all lifted the lantern into the sky, watching as it disappeared into the night. 

The light swirled among the thousands of other lanterns, swirling between others, flitting beneath the moon and becoming one with the night’s show. Finally among its kind, finally becoming part of something beautiful. 

Dot continued to stare up, laying down to see it better, and then returning to the mast, and then leaning over the side of the boat. She changed her perspective over and over, wanting to see the lanterns from every angle she could. The mice watched her bounce and giggle, and when a lantern dipped too close to the water, she leaned over, gently lifting it back up to rejoin its friends. 

Brain and Pinky sat beside each other, observing her return to the mast, and then Brain said, “Are you pondering what I’m pondering, Pinky?” 

“I think so, Brain, but how come the tree can talk and the raccoon can’t?” 

“No, Pinky,” Brain sighed. “I’m thinking that if anyone deserves the world, it’s her.” 

“Well, that’s a much better thought.” Pinky said. 

They once again shared a look, and then held paws, and then Brain coughed and said, “Dot?” 

She turned, smiling over at them, and they could clearly see she was crying. She wiped her tears, still beaming, and then moved to sit across from them again. “Yeah?” 

“Um… I- well, Pinky was thinking- no, Pinky and  _ I _ were thinking…” 

“Always good to think.” Dot nodded. 

“That’s not what I meant.” 

“I know.” she giggled. 

“What Brain’s trying to say is,” Pinky said, “We think you’re a very creative, wonderful girl.” 

“And cute.” Dot added. 

“Of course! The cutest!” Pinky said. 

“And...” Brain said. “Well, we were thinking- after the celebration is over… when this is all completed, we mean, we were thinking that… well, when we return to shore…” 

Dot realized where this was going, and widened her eyes, not daring to interrupt. 

“We… we don’t really have a permanent, stable home, but, we would be… we would be happy to… to…” 

Brain trailed off, and Dot blinked. “Yeah?” 

He stared, and then said, “We need to go.” 

“What?” 

“We need to  _ go!”  _ Brain shoved the oar into Dot’s hands, and she looked up to realize that one of the larger ships was starting to head in their direction. She squinted, peering, and realized she could see a guard peering over the edge. 

“Oh--” Dot let out a string of swear words she’d learned that day, and very quickly began to paddle. 

_ “Language!”  _ Brain said without thinking. 

“Put a sock in it, mouse!” 

None of them were entirely sure if they’d been spotted from the boat; honestly, it was probably not very likely, but they weren’t about to take the chance, especially as the ship seemed to be coming nearer. 

Dot tried to paddle them back to the original dock, but she wasn’t very skilled at boating for what I presume are obvious reasons, so they ended up splashing around until they reached a shore, which seemed to be pretty far from where they’d originally been. Not that they were thinking much about where they wanted to go at the moment, just that they needed to be anywhere but here. 

But even as they landed on the shore, they saw torches in the distance, the clanking of heavy boots; a patrol nearby. Dot glanced desperately back towards the ships behind them, and then the dark, occupied woods ahead of them. A run for it was the better option, but still not a great one.

As Dot jumped out of the boat, pulling it into shore, Brain turned to Pinky. “We need to get the crown away from her.” he said. “They’ll go after us and leave her alone.” 

Pinky nodded, and as Dot ran back to the boat, the mice grabbed the crown as she scooped them up and set them on the dirt. 

“Dot, listen to me.” Brain said. “We’ll draw them away,.” 

“Are you suggesting we split up, mister?” Dot asked, aghast. “In case you’ve forgotten, I can run farther than either of you.” 

“They just want this.” Brain said, gesturing to the crown. “We’ll leave it somewhere for them to find, let them have it, and then they’ll leave you alone. But if they catch us, we don’t want you there, too.” 

“I don’t want to-” 

Pinky, thinking fast, pointed to a tall oak just a few feet from them. “Climb that, wait for us there.” 

Dot glanced to the tree, and then back to the mice. “But you’ll come back?” 

“Of course. Of course we’ll come back for you.” Brain said, without even thinking, and he and Pinky gave her a quick hug around the leg before grabbing the crown and running in the opposite direction. 

Dot watched them go, panic in her chest. The first, most terrifying thought sprang to her head as she turned and ran for the oak, scrambling up the branches.  _ “They left you. They’re running off with the crown. And now you’ll never see them again.”  _

_ No, no. They care about me. They were…  _

_ “They’re using you, Dottie. The guards will go after you and they’ll escape with what they really wanted.”  _

_ No!  _

_ “Oh, but you told them about your hair! That’s worth something. Maybe they’ll tell everyone where you are for a price. Get even richer.”  _

_ No! _

_ “They’ll pull your fur, Dottie. Rip it out, piece by piece, until it’s all gone, and then what will happen to you? When you’re not special anymore?”  _

_ Shut up!  _

_ “Or maybe they won’t cut your hair. They’ll just find a new tower for you.”  _

Dot curled up in the branches of the tree and began to shake. 

“What’s the plan, Brain?” Pinky asked. 

The two mice were running at top speed through the grass of the woods, trying to attract enough attention that the guard would follow them and not Dot, but not enough that they could be caught before abandoning the crown in an easy-to-spot location. Unfortunately, the tall grass and shedded leaves were not providing an ample spot to drop the tiara. 

“Find a big rock or a tree stump! Something where they’ll clearly see it! We can’t take the chance they miss it and keep following us. We can’t lead them to-” 

_ CLANG.  _

The mice clattered to the dirt, the crown slamming into the leaves beside them. Brain was knocked out first, but Pinky had a few more moments of consciousness, as he blinked up. A tall woman in a cloak stood over them, and she tossed aside some kind of blunt instrument, before turning and racing away. 

_ Oh no.  _

It wasn’t hard for the woman to tell the guards that there were three criminals who’d run past her, carrying a shiny crown. That two of them went in that direction, just look for the crown’s jewels shining under the lanternlight. The third was a young girl, and she went that way. The guards didn’t think much of it, just assuming that a civilian happened to be in the forest, going home from the festival, and passed the thieves by circumstance. They wouldn’t guess that she had been following the thieves for a full day now, staying just far enough away that they couldn’t see her, that she’d stayed still at the lake, watching and waiting for them to reach shore after a quick tip to a guard boat to check out a certain direction. And they definitely couldn’t have guessed the lengths one woman would go to to keep her magic from the rest of the world. 

Dot shook in the tree, hugging herself, as she heard guards rush past her spot. She heard distant calls- “here somewhere!” “Gold-furred dog-child,” “accomplice,” “catch…” and then worst of all,  _ “This way.”  _

This way. They knew which direction she’d gone in. They knew where she was. Which meant someone had pointed them there. And only two people knew where she was, and they were… they ran off with… 

“I’m so stupid.” she muttered to herself, and then began banging her head against the branch as tears poured down her cheeks. “Stupid, stupid,  _ stupid!”  _

How could she think that they wanted her around? That they’d let her go with them, see the world with them? That maybe she’d found a family all on her own? 

“Stupid!  _ Stupid! Stupid!”  _

And then, with another cry, she slipped from the branch, and crashed through the foliage and onto the cold, filthy ground. She heard shouts, saw torches pointed in her direction- of course they heard her fall, of course they did… 

She stumbled to her feet and started to run blindly, not caring where she went, but then her braid caught in a loose branch, and when she tried to continue forwards anyway, she was yanked back and lost her footing a moment, scrambling among the dirt and leaves she could barely see, trying to tug her fur loose, but it felt like it was just getting more and more stuck, branches and twigs pressing into it like knives. People were coming, she could hear racing behind her, shouting, they were coming for her, they… 

She screamed, letting out a cry, and then suddenly, everything was silent. 

She paused, perking up an ear, as she realized the footsteps had stopped. Then, she heard thumps, clangs- sounded like when Rita was hitting those soldiers to knock them down. Maybe… maybe Rita was here? No. No, she was on the other side of the lake… 

In the brief silence, she sniffled and managed to reach up and pluck her hair from the branches. It fell back down to her feet, scraping her ankles, just as she finally made out a figure in the dark behind her. 

“Mother!” Dot cried with relief, and when her mother opened her arms, she didn’t think twice before racing to her, throwing herself back into her grip, and letting her take her away. 


	14. Jailbreak

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN - JAILBREAK**

“Where’s Dot?” 

Rita was perched at the edge of the dock, staring across the lake. There was no sign of Dot’s boat, anywhere. 

“Hmm, that’s not good. Definitely, definitely not good.” Runt said; he was currently laying beside Buttons, looking up from the now-empty treat bag with concern. 

“You can say that again.” 

“Definitely, definitely not good.” 

“She really should’ve been back by now.” Rita muttered. “Lanterns disappeared hours ago. How long were we out?” 

“Maybe she parked somewhere else?” 

“She would’ve come to pick us up.” 

Buttons barked, rolling his eyes. 

_ “No,  _ those mice wouldn’t drag her off. Even if I had no trust in them at this point, if they tried anything suspish, Dot would pick them up and hurl them into the sea.” 

Buttons opened his mouth to bark again, and then paused, perking up an ear. With that, he jumped to his feet and moved to where the dock met the shore, tail sticking straight up. Rita hesitantly jumped onto Runt’s back as the mutt trodded up beside Buttons, cocking his head to the side and trying to listen. 

“Alright, I haven’t got super dog listening powers,” Rita began.

“Why?” Runt asked. 

“So you’re gonna have to tell me what’s up.” Rita continued, ignoring him for the moment.

Buttons whined. 

“A patrol of your bosses?” Rita strained her ears, and did indeed hear footsteps; probably behind the houses that blocked her view. “Well, Runt and I haven’t been caught committing any crimes-” Buttons woofed. “I meant what I said, we haven’t been  _ caught.  _ What else?” 

Runt stepped forwards, and then Rita could hear a bit of shouting in the distance, too. “That sounds like-” 

“The mice. Yeah, definitely. Definitely the mice.” 

“How’d  _ they _ manage to get- it doesn’t matter, we’ll pick them up in a sec. What are they saying? I can’t hear it.” 

Runt hesitated, trying to decipher what was being said. Buttons, meanwhile, caught it much more quickly, and then nervously reported what he’d heard. 

“They’re saying ‘she’s in trouble’?  _ Dot’s in trouble?”  _ Rita’s eyes went wide. “Where? What’s happening?” 

Buttons shook his head; they hadn’t said that. 

“Buttons,” Rita leapt off of Runt, sitting in front of the german shepherd and grabbing his face, “Do you know where they’re going? Where they’re gonna stash the mice?” 

Buttons hesitated, glancing towards the town above. Rita shook, wondering if he’d dare to tell her… who was she kidding? She let go of him and leapt atop of Runt. “Runt, let’s follow them, we gotta bust them out and find out what happened to Dot.” 

“Right!” Runt nodded. 

He started off, but then Buttons leapt in front of them, barking. Rita panicked a moment, getting ready to launch at him and fight if need be, but… 

“What did you say?” 

_ Bark!  _

“The  _ pigeons?”  _

The bars of pretty much every jail cell were too wide, so the mice were put in a dangling cage in the corner of an empty cell. Brain and Pinky took turns throwing themself against the small door, trying to squeeze through the bars, pounding on the cage’s floor in hopes that it would drop, trying to find a hole in the ceiling…  _ anything.  _ Anything to get them out of there. 

“Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?” 

“I think so, Brain!” Pinky said, flapping his hands from side-to-side in a panic. “But I don’t know if escaping during a snowstorm is the best idea!” 

“That’s not what I meant at all, Pinky! Look, down there, there’s a bit of straw on the ground. If we can get one of those up here, I can pick the lock-” 

“How are we going to do that?” 

“I… I…” Brain stuttered, staring down at the ground, and then at the floor of the cage, looking for anything they could use. “I… I don’t  _ know!”  _

He dropped into the corner of the cage, hugging his knees, his ears flopping down as he shook. Pinky wasted no time, racing over and then sitting beside Brain, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright. We’ll think of something, we always get out of these things.” 

_ “We  _ always do.” Brain repeated, and then shook his head. “It’s not about us anymore. Dot’s in trouble and it’s our fault.” 

“Brain…” 

“Repeat what you told me, Pinky, about who knocked us out.” 

Pinky shut his eyes. “A tall woman, in a big cloak. That’s all I got.” 

“Do you think it could have been her mother?” 

“She didn’t look much like a toon.” 

“If anything’s happened to her…” Brain shook his head. “What does it matter? We can’t do  _ anything  _ here. We’re  _ stuck, _ Pinky. We’re helpless and locked in a cage again…” 

Pinky slowly scooted closer to Brain, before grabbing his hand. “Are you giving up?” 

“I… I just don’t know what to do. And I hate feeling that way, especially in a situation as dire as… do you think we’ll be executed?” 

“I think they abolished the death penalty a few years back.” 

“It doesn’t matter. We may as well expire here, knowing we have failed in everything.” 

Pinky thought a moment, and then said, “Well, we haven’t failed at  _ everything.”  _

“Name one thing we’ve succeeded at.” 

“Well, we promised we’d never let anyone split us up again.” Pinky said softly, smiling a little. “And we’re still here together, aren’t we? I think, so long as I have you, I’ve succeeded at  _ something.  _ Which is quite the accomplishment for me, you know.” 

Brain was silent for a long while. Then, he said, “Your boundless optimism is a marvel unto nature, Pinky, but that doesn’t mean it’s not nice to hear.” 

“Narf!” 

Brain blinked, and then allowed himself a small smile. “Narf indeed, my old friend.” Pinky leaned on his shoulder, beaming. 

They stayed there for a while, until they heard something going on in the next hall over. They sat up and moved to the edge of the cage, trying to get clearer audio, but it wasn’t quite working. 

“Are the guards coming for us?” Pinky asked. 

“I don’t know. It sounds a bit cluttered. Perhaps someone has fallen in their cell?” 

“Maybe it’s a jailbreak!” 

“Pinky, this is the most heavily-guarded prison in the Kingdom, there is  _ not _ going to be a-” 

Brain was cut off as, just outside their prison bars, the wooden door that led to the hall burst forward, flying off its hinges and crashing against the far wall. Pinky and Brain shielded their eyes from the debris, only to open them to see that Runt had burst in, and was now spinning around after having used his head as a battering ram. Flying above him were several angry-looking pigeons, and clinging to the dog’s back, bouncing as he spun, was Rita, who shouted, as excitedly as they’d ever heard her,  _ “JAILBREAK!”  _

“Oh, good de France.” Brain swore. 

“You’re welcome, bighead.” said Pesto the pigeon, as Bobby flew to the lock on the cellar door. 

“What are you  _ doing?”  _ Brain asked. 

“Using my claws to pick the lock. All of us can do it, in case the cops nab somebody important.” 

“Oh, yeah.” Pinky nodded, as if it all made sense now. “I sometimes forget you guys are a literal mafia, narf!” 

“No, but how did-” Brain started. 

There was a deafening  _ bark,  _ and then a second dog leapt into the hall-  _ “Buttons?”  _ Brain gasped, and indeed, it was the palace guard dog. He raced to Bobby, dropping a ring of keys at his feet, and Squit flew down to pick it up and deliver it to his gangmate. 

“Yo, Buttons, how are we on time?” Rita asked, steadying Runt underneath her. 

Buttons barked and shook his head. 

“The Mime’s keepin’ em busy? So I’d say we got a good five minutes.  _ Bobby, hurry it up!”  _

“I’m workin here!” 

The door opened, and Bobby flew to the mice’s cage, flicking through the keyring in attempt to find the one that fit. Brain shook his head to clear it, slapping his forehead a couple times to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. 

Bobby finally fit a key into the lock, but it caused the cage to shake, and he said, “Pesto! Squit! Come ‘ere and hold this thing still!” 

“What am I, a bookend?” 

“You  _ will be, Pesto, if you don’t get over here?”  _

Pinky laughed as the cage swung, and when the pigeons finally got it still, the two mice had fallen over to the front of their tiny cell. Brain grabbed the bars, shakily standing, and said,  _ “What are you all doing here?”  _

“Bustin’ you out, of course!” Squit said happily. 

“But…” Brain shook his head, confused. 

Rita raced into the jail, looking up at the cage, and then said, “No time to be cheery. Where’s Dot?” 

“She’s not here!” Brain said quickly. 

“We told her to wait for us-” 

“-but we don’t know if she’s still there-”

“We got knocked out by a tall lady in a big cloak!” 

Rita held up a paw. “What species?” 

“Seemed human.” Pinky shrugged. 

“That…” Rita then uttered a word that isn’t allowed on network television. “I’ll bet my tail it was her mother! She’ll be back in the tower.” 

Bobby got the door open, and Pesto and Squit flipped it upside-down, causing the mice to crash to the floor. Pinky bounced up quickly, while Brain groaned and shouted, “Was that  _ necessary?”  _

“No,” Pesto smirked, “But it  _ was  _ funny.” 

“Definitely!” Runt barked. “Definitely funny!” 

Pinky helped Brain up, and then Rita said, “Who can run the fastest?” 

Buttons barked. 

“Okay, mice, get on Buttons. Head to the tower, we’ll meet you there.” Rita said. “I gotta get all these criminals outta the palace and then on the warpath. You know where to go?” 

Brain nodded quickly, and Buttons knelt beside them, letting them climb onto his back and grab his harness. He then turned to Rita and said, sincerely, “Thank you.” 

“Don’t thank me.” Rita said. “Just save our girl.” 

The last flower was dropped into the wastebasket, and with that, Dot’s braid was gone, and her hair was splayed out through her room. It wasn’t even really a room, just a curtained-off corner of the tower with a bed, but she barely slept before, just bursting with ideas and plans and creative pursuits. All of those had faded now, and all she wanted to do was sit on her bed and sleep. 

“There.” Norita dusted off her hands, as if she’d just handled a pile of dirt and bugs. “It never happened.” 

She stood, kicking the wastebasket to the corner of Dot’s room, and then said, “We never have to think about it again. Never talk about it. Here, I’ll go ahead and make dinner tonight. And how about a banana split for desert? You  _ love  _ that?” 

Dot didn’t respond, instead staring at her lap. 

Norita sighed, and turned. “I tried to warn you, Dottie, you might remember. I really did, I told you what was out there. The world is a dark, cruel, ugly place, and if it finds even a single drop of sunshine? It destroys it.” 

With that, she left and shut the curtain behind her, leaving Dot alone. 

The young girl continued to sit and stare at her lap for a long time. Every thought was slow and faded, like her mind had to travel through fog inbetween each one. Everything felt heavy- her ears in her face, her feet dangling off the bed, her tail wrapped around her. And everything just felt  _ dark.  _

She supposed she should’ve seen it coming. Pinky and Brain just wanted the crown, that’s why they took her out in the first place, everything after that was likely just to get on her good side. Rita… Rita would probably be happy with Runt and Buttons, and then she wouldn’t be stuck in the tower anymore. But was that worse? Out there in the world? She supposed Rita could always come back… but then again, who would want to come back to her? Who would be desperate to see her? Even Mother had been angry before finding out that bad men wanted to hurt her. Would Mother have left her if she never found out? 

It wasn’t all bad, she thought. The kingdom celebration was nice, though the memory seemed tainted now. She liked the grass, the flowers, the rivers, the people in the  _ Snuggly Pigeon.  _ And the lights… how it felt when the lanterns flew above her and around her on that lake… 

Dot reached into her skirt pocket, and pulled out a crumpled flag, stretching it out to see the wrinkled Warnerstock sun etched onto it. Brain had given that to her. And Pinky had given her the flower. Why would they do that and then just  _ leave?  _

Slowly, she reached into the wastebasket and pulled out that last flower, the one Pinky had plucked for her, and tied her ears back up. She sighed, not sure if she was feeling better or worse or a strange mix of both. She held the banner in her hands again, and then collapsed onto her back, letting her blankets sink beneath her. Keeping her eyes shut, she held the flag to her chest and tried to put it all behind her. Hide it in the back of her mind, go back to how things were. Cleaning in the tower, waiting to cook with mother, playing games, painting on the walls and ceiling… 

Painting… on the… 

She stared up at the high ceiling above her, filled with her designs. And, slowly, she unfurled the flag again, holding it up. She closed it, opened it again, and then put it down, slowly sitting up, her eyes narrowing as she looked up high. 

That was funny. That flock of birds she’d drawn, just last year, in a circle around each other. The space between them, in the center. It was the exact shape of the sun. 

Hold on… 

She jumped to her feet, looking up at another painting- there! The fish she’d drawn, with only a picture book as reference, when she was five. The sun was there, too. And there! Inbetween the leaves of two branches- and when she drew herself in front of a spotlight, the way the light bounced- the sun again. Again and again and again… 

Dot burst out of her room, her feet flying as she raced to the other wall of the tower. Ignoring her mother’s questioning cry, Dot knelt in front of one of her first paintings, of different snowflakes- the sun was in the center hole of that one, it was inbetween those three… 

“Dottie, what are you-” 

Dot raced past her mother again and leapt atop her desk, looking at her sketch of Rita. The way her tail curled around her back- the sun was there. And there, over the bird’s wings. And there, between the rainbow and the trees. And there! And there, and there, and there! Everywhere! Even… 

Dot tossed out her hair and swung herself atop the rafters. There, standing in front of the painting of the lanterns, she held up the banner one more time. Inbetween each lantern, the negative space- it was that exact sun.  _ Right there.  _

A flash in her mind- a baby mobile, emblazoned with the sun, spinning and playing notes lost to her. A lantern in front of her, lifted high…  _ “Did you see that? They all love ya! They’re gonna love ya forever, cause you’re gonna be the bestest princess this kingdom’s ever had!” _

The mural. The little boy, bouncing on his paws, and his brother, sitting beside him- they were next to her. 

They were  _ waiting for her.  _

“Dottie,  _ what  _ are you doing?” 

Dot let the banner fall to the beam, her head spinning along with her heart. She tried to swing back to the ground, only to crash into her room’s curtains, knocking them down from their hangers. 

“Dottie! Dottie, now look what you did! Do you know how long it takes to keep those up?” 

Dot eventually pulled herself from the remains, breathing hard and stepping back. 

“Did you pull your ears up again? Dottie-” 

“I’m the lost princess.” Dot mumbled, fiddling with her hands, bouncing on her feet to try and bring herself back to the moment. 

“Flower,  _ stop _ that bouncing, it’s so childish-” 

A spark of anger erupted inside of her, and so Dot spat out, as loud as she could, “I _am_ _the lost princess!”_

There was a dead silence. Dot then slowly looked up, a spark having returned to her eyes, a dangerous spark about to turn into a wildfire. Norita stared down at her, with an obvious panic in her expression. She dropped it, trying to laugh it off, but it was too late. 

“Aren’t I, mother?” Dot said darkly, feeling her entire body tense. Her mind flickered back to that mural, to the woman holding her tiny daughter. “Or should I even  _ call you _ that?” 

“Dottie, don’t be silly-” 

“Call me Dottie again and see where it gets ya.” Dot snarled, letting her fangs show. 

“D- Now, Dottie, we talked about those  _ animalistic  _ traits. It’s not becoming-” 

“It was  _ you!”  _ Dot spat, backing up, her tail flicking a warning. “It was  _ all you!”  _

Norita’s finally dropped her pretense, and her face darkened, as she looked down at the disobedient child. “Everything I did,” she said slowly, “Was to  _ protect you.”  _

“Yeah, sure, keep tellin’ yourself that, lady.” Dot pushed past her, the world feeling like it was crumbling around her. “I spent my  _ whole life-”  _

“Dottie!”

_ “Hiding _ from people who would  _ use me  _ for my power-”

“Dottie!” 

“When I should have been hiding… from  _ you.”  _ Dot turned, staring at the woman she’d thought was her mother for so long. “I should leave! Right now!” 

“And where will you go?” Norita said. “Your little pets won’t be there for you.  _ Nobody  _ will.” 

Dot’s eyes widened, a panic rising her chest. Of  _ course _ she did something to Pinky and Brain, that’s why they weren’t there. They never left her. 

“You’re an accomplice to the most dangerous thieves in the Kingdom. Nobody will take you in. Nobody will want you.” 

They  _ never left her.  _ Nobody did! 

Norita took her silence as shock, and stepped closer, reaching out to stroke her fur. “Now, now, Dottie. It’s alright. Listen to me- this is all as it should be…” 

_ “No!”  _ Dot whipped around and grabbed her captor’s hand, keeping it from touching her. Norita gasped, struggling to try to break her hold. “Don’t  _ touch me!”  _

“Dottie!” 

“You were  _ wrong  _ about the world!” Dot spat, as her fur flared up. “And you were  _ wrong  _ about me! I am  _ not _ your flower, I am the  _ sun, _ and I will  _ burn _ you if you take another step towards me!” 

Norita struggled again to free her arm, and Dot finally shouted, “And I will  _ never  _ let you  _ use me again!”  _

At that, she threw Norita’s arm out, causing her to fall off to the side. With that, Dot turned, looking to the tower door. 

She could make things right. And she never had to come back here again. 

She took a step, and then felt her tail grabbed. 

“You want me to be the bad guy?” came a quiet threat. “Fine. Now I’m the bad guy.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Dot going off is always fun, but I really think y'all are gonna REALLY love tomorrow's chapter...


	15. The Teardrop, Part One

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN - THE TEARDROP, PART ONE**

When Wakko awoke, he was on his brother’s lap, in the cellar. 

It took him a moment to recognize his change in surroundings, and then he quickly sat up, rubbing his eyes. “The hell…?” 

“Wakko! You’re awake!” Yakko said nervously. “Boy, you sleep like a  _ rock, _ anyone ever tell you-” 

“Wh-what are we doing here  _ again?”  _ Wakko sat up, hugging himself, not sure if he was feeling anger or fear. 

“I carried you here- sorry about that, I didn’t want to wake you up-” 

_ “Why are we here?”  _

“Don’t freak out!” Yakko stepped backwards. “Cause if you freak out,  _ I’ll  _ freak out, and I would very much not like to freak out right now!” 

Wakko paused, taking a deep breath, and then he said, “Just tell me  _ what we’re doing here.”  _

“O-okay.” Yakko sighed, fiddling with his hands while he talked. “So? Um, they caught the guys who stole the crown! And then they lost them again! Apparently a bunch of, um, pigeons? I think it’s mostly pigeons? They broke in and had a jailbreak and now we’re here til the guards have it under control. Why  _ pigeons?  _ I have no idea!” 

“Did… did they find Angie’s crown?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“How did they catch them?” 

“I don’t  _ know, _ they don’t tell me a lot…” 

“What’s going  _ on?”  _

“I don’t know-” 

“Okay.” Wakko said, and then immediately turned and walked to the door. 

“Wh-what are you doing?” 

“I’m going to ask the guards myself.” 

“Wakko!” 

“I’m not staying in here, Yakko! And I’m not letting everyone talk behind closed doors like before.” Yakko flinched. “You can stay here if you want. I’m not going to be afraid of them anymore.” 

He walked up the short steps and threw open the cellar door, beginning to run as soon as he hit carpet. It was easy to figure out where to go- follow the shouting and the loud noises. 

He made it about two halls before he felt a hand slip into his, and he slid to a stop. He turned, looking up at Yakko, who was breathing deeply and trying to keep himself standing tall. Wakko blinked, and then Yakko smiled down at him, and they didn’t need to say anything more. 

They ran off together, hand in hand, following the sounds of battle. It started to get more subdued the more close they got, and eventually Wakko stopped, perking up an ear to listen. 

“Throne room. They were probably trying to break out a window.” 

Yakko nodded and yanked his brother in that direction, and one they reached the tall doors, Yakko immediately kicked them open and burst in. 

“Alright,” he said, “What the  _ hell _ is going on?” 

Up ahead, being either handcuffed or held on the ground by several guards, were multiple pigeons, a confused-looking dog, and a gray cat that seemed feral, hissing and spitting as Ralph held her very far from his face. 

“Yakko! Wakko!” They turned to see Scratchansniff run up behind them, breathing deep- how long had he been chasing after them? “What are you  _ doink?  _ You should be in the cellar!” 

“I wanna know what’s going on!” Wakko stomped his foot, and then turned. “How were these people able to break into the castle?” 

“Oh, we had a dog that knew the way in.” said a gray pigeon. 

“Squit, I’m gonna  _ knock your eye out if you don’t shut up!”  _ said a purple pigeon, who was being held by two guards at once. 

“That dog?” Wakko asked, pointing at the confused mutt. 

“Oh, I don’t know anything.” said the mutt. 

“I believe him. Look at those eyes.” Yakko stage-whispered. “No thoughts. Head empty.” 

The cat turned, spitting towards them, but then paused, cocking her head to the side, eyes narrowed. Wakko only glanced at her, before turning to the pigeons. “You all? You broke out some thieves, is that right?” 

“Wakko, you two should really go. This could be dangerous.” Scratchansniff said, reaching out to take Wakko’s hand. Wakko shrugged him off, and instead turned back to the prisoners. 

“And what about it?” said a blue pigeon. 

“What’s  _ about it  _ is they’ve been causing us quite a bit of stress, lately.” Yakko said, stepping forward. 

“And what do we care about your stress?” 

“We’re the royal family, birdbrain.” Yakko rolled his eyes. “I’m acting monarch!” 

“Look a bit young to be acting monarch.” one of the pigeons said snidely. 

“Why did you want them out? Did you want Angie’s crown?” Wakko asked. 

“The what?” the purple pigeon asked. 

“Oh, those mice? They’re friends of ours.” Squit said, waving a wing. “That’s what the godpigeon said, at least.” 

Wakko glanced between birds. “Which one of you is the godpigeon?” 

The pigeons all let out snorts of amusement, and the blue one said, “Pfft, the godpigeon doesn’t get  _ caught.”  _

“Okay, okay, we’ll put a pin in that.” Yakko said. “Back to the point- these thieves.  _ Why did you break them out?”  _

“They’re criminals, your highness.” one of the guards finally sighed. “Lawbreakers just love to cause mayhem.” 

“Who you callin’ a criminal?” the purple pigeon spat. 

“Pesto-” 

“I’ll have you know I’ve never been convicted of anything! Besides, we had a good reason to break those mice out, their kid’s in trouble!” 

“Their what?” Yakko asked, confused. 

“Their kid.” Squit said. “Most adorable little girl in the world. ‘I got a dream.’ Like, fifty feet of fur.” 

“Fifty feet of fur? How does a mouse have fifty feet of fur?” Wakko asked. 

“That’s not important-” Scratchansniff attempted. 

“Oh, she’s not a mouse.” Squit said. “She’s… um… not quite sure what species she is.” 

“You know, she looks kinda like you!” the mutt said, wagging his stubby tail. “Actually, yeah! Definitely, definitely whatever species you are.” 

Wakko’s stomach plummeted to the floor. 

For a moment, he couldn’t breathe, and he simply reached out to grab Yakko’s arm. Yakko, for his part, was in just as much a state of shock. Quickly, he asked, “What color is her fur?” 

“What?” 

“Her  _ fur?  _ Is it gold? Like the  _ sun?”  _

The pigeons glanced at each other, then back at him. “What, you know their kid?” 

Yakko broke away from Wakko and, before any of the guards or Scratchansniff could stop him, he raced forward to the pigeons, getting as close to them as he could before the guards started panicking. “Whoa, whoa!” the blue pigeon said. 

“What’s the problem, your royal shortness?” Pesto said. 

Yakko didn’t have time to sass him back, nor did he care to at the moment. “Where is she?” he asked, his voice rising in a panic. 

“Yo, yo.” the blue pigeon looked offended. “Snitches get stitches, kid.” 

“Please!” Yakko then surprised everyone by dropping lower, his knees buckling. “Please, we’ll give you anything you want! Pardons, immunity- just tell us where she is!” 

The pigeons simply gave him glares. “That’s not how goodfeathers roll.” the blue pigeon finally said. 

Yakko opened his mouth to say more, but only stuttered out a few confusing syllables before yelling, “I-  _ I can’t-”  _

He spun on his heels and took off running; as he passed his little brother, Wakko caught sight of his face and realized he was about to start sobbing, and he froze again; Yakko  _ never  _ cried like that. 

“Yakko!” Scratchansniff called after him, and after checking to make sure the guards still had things handled, he ran off after him. 

Wakko, meanwhile, just turned, looking at the prisoners. The guards were starting to move, thinking that now Yakko was gone, they could go ahead and take these people to the dungeon. Wakko stood stock-still a moment, before he raised his voice. 

“Wait.” 

They turned, confused, at the young boy. He then took a breath and said, “Put them down.” 

“What?” “Your highness, we can’t-” “That’s a horrible idea!” “They’ll-” 

“Put them  _ down!” _ Wakko shouted, and for the first time in his life, he felt a fierceness overcome him. His fur stiffened, his tail shooting up, and he bared his fangs. 

“Your highness-” 

“Put them on the ground  _ right now  _ and let me speak with them!” 

Slowly, very slowly, the guards placed the pigeons on the ground, unroped the dog, and then dropped the cat. The cat, eerily silent, just stared over at Wakko, as if memorizing his face. 

Wakko knelt down, pausing a moment, and then the confused dog and pigeons came to him, trying to figure out what this child was thinking. 

Slowly, very slowly, Wakko said, “We won’t hurt her. We never would. We…” he shut his eyes to calm himself, and then looked back down at them. “We just need to know where she is. We’ll protect her. I promise.” 

“Kid…” 

The cat then shushed the pigeons, and walked over to Wakko herself. Slowly, she sat in front of him, looking him up and down. Then, quietly, she said, “Cross your heart and decompose, stick a needle up your nose?” 

Wakko sniffled. He hadn’t heard that before, but he thought he liked it. “Sure, yeah.” He made a cross motion over his heart, and the cat’s eyes widened. 

“Oh, good lord.” she muttered. “You look just like her.” 

The tears finally began to flow, then, and Wakko grabbed and squeezed his tail to keep himself from breaking down in front of them. “Please.” he whispered, his voice getting choked up. “Please, she’s my sister. She’s my baby sister.” 

He didn’t dare look at the prisoners, or even the guards. Instead, he wiped his eyes with his tail and gave up trying to keep himself still. He cried more, shaking and breathing unsteadily. 

“She’s our baby sister, we just want our baby sister back…” 

Then, slowly, the cat crawled on his lap. Wakko could hear the guards tense, but he didn’t care; he looked down at the cat, begging her to understand. 

Then, slowly, she said, “I know where she is.” 

Buttons truly was a fast, fast dog. He tore through the woods, following both the distant scents and Brain’s directions. They raced through the forest, but this time not holding a crown and looking for somewhere to hide, chasing each other- this time, they were united, and with only one thing on their minds-  _ find Dot. Save Dot.  _

They finally reached the hollow, and Pinky and Brain ducked down to avoid the leaves scratching against them as Buttons burst through. The sky was darkening with stormclouds above them, almost hiding the water tower in the shadows; this really  _ was _ a perfect hiding spot. Buttons slid across the grass, skidding to the bottom of the tower, and he looked up, whining slightly, wondering if it would be a good idea to bark. Finally, he did so, yapping wildly and jumping on one of the water tower’s legs, as if he could climb it himself. 

“Dot!” Pinky shouted first, climbing to the top of Buttons’s head. “Dot, can you hear us?” 

“Dot!” Brain added. “Dot, drop your hair, we’re coming up!” 

When there wasn’t a response, Brain said, “Okay, we’re going to have to find a way up. Something sharp to climb with in order to get up the legs- Buttons, can you find a porcupine?” 

Before Buttons could respond, Pinky gasped and pointed up. And they all looked up as, suddenly, a huge length of golden fur fell from the water tower’s door, swaying slightly in the air, and then finally rolling to a stop beside the travelers. Brain and Pinky stared at each other for a moment, and then Brain lifted his partner onto the hair, and said, “Buttons, fetch the reinforcements.” 

Buttons nodded and barked, as Brain also scurried onto the hair, and the mice began to climb. They shimmied up the locks of fur as fast as possible, while the dog took off to the edge of the hollow to await their help. Thunder cracked above them as the mice scampered up, wondering why she was being so quiet, what had happened to her since they were gone… 

Her hair wasn’t hooked, but simply spilling out of the tower, which was worrying as hell. Honestly, if Brain had been thinking straight, he probably would’ve taken that as a warning, but both mice had their thoughts solely on the poor girl inside the tower and thus rushed inside the door without thinking. 

They looked up in time to see Dot, trying her best to screech through the thick gag tied around her mouth and straining against chains that held her to the wall. 

They didn’t look up fast enough, because immediately after they caught sight of her, Norita stepped out behind them and swung the knife. 


	16. The Teardrop, Part Two

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN - THE TEARDROP, PART TWO**

Dot watched the mice fall to the floor and felt like she was about to die. 

Her heart was pounding, as if it was about to burst from her chest. She couldn’t even speak, could only try to screech through the gag Norita had forced into her mouth “to finally shut you up.” Her hands were forced into the chains against the wall, another clamped around her legs and tail, keeping her from moving in any direction, finding any way to break loose. She could barely move, just wiggle a few inches in a few direction. Meaning she could do  _ nothing _ as her chosen family was attacked and began to bleed out on the floor. 

She could barely see them with the water streaming from her eyes, and she tried as hard as she could to push through, to break the chains, but it wasn’t any use. 

“Now look what you’ve done, Flower.” Norita tsked, kicking the mice aside. “But don’t worry, darling, our little secret dies with them.” 

Dot began to scream, trying to look over the mice, figure out their injuries- it seemed like a cut, but a cut that big on a toon that small… 

“As for  _ you,”  _ Norita stepped over the mice and yanked back on Dot’s fur, dragging it back onto the tower floor. She then walked to Dot, unhooking her chains from the wall and beginning to yank her back, “We are going where nobody will  _ ever _ find you again!” 

Dot tried to scream again, tried to kick and struggle, and finally, Norita’s hand slipped a little on the chain, and the young girl managed to wriggle her chest enough to shake the chains. 

“Dottie,  _ really!”  _ Norita hissed, and tugged harder, only for Dot to lean forward and wrap her ears around a table leg, gripping tight. When Norita managed to jerk the chains closer, the table crashed, scattering everything atop onto the floor. 

Most of the items rolled off; however, the table itself knocked into the side of the full-length mirror, which toppled and shattered with a loud  _ crash  _ onto the floor. Shards flew everywhere, littering the floor. Several landed at Norita’s feet, and she shouted, jumping back.  _ “Enough already! Stop fighting me!”  _

Dot shook herself, and managed to use her tongue to push the gag out of her mouth. As the fabric bounced against the floor, Dot screeched,  _ “NO!”  _

She managed to get herself to sit up, and she turned to glare at her captor, trying to slow her heart and avoid her judging, hateful eyes. She bared her fangs, shouting, “I won’t  _ ever  _ stop! For every  _ minute  _ of the rest of my  _ life _ I will  _ fight!”  _

“Dottie-” 

“I will kick and scream and shout and break through whatever wall you put in front of me!” 

_ “Dottie!”  _

Dot shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and then said, “But!” She waited a moment, made sure Norita was listening, and then said, “Let me heal them, and I’ll go with you.” 

She thought she heard some kind of cry from one of the mice, and her heart beat even faster. Norita wasn’t saying anything, just looking down at her in some form of disgust. 

Dot took another breath, and then said, “I’ll never run, I’ll never escape, I’ll stay inside and shut up and do whatever you want. And we’ll be together, forever. Just like you want. Just like it was before.” She blinked her eyes, trying to make them as round and pleading as possible. She  _ had _ to save them, no matter what it meant for her. “Just let me heal them.”

Her voice broke, and Norita stared for another minute, before dropping the chains, letting them clatter to the floor. Dot blinked her tears away as her captor walked back to the mice, and after a moment, dug a rope out from the supply bin and pulled the mice against a beam, tying them against it. Then, she walked back to the girl, and whispered in her ear, “If you try anything-” 

“Nothing. Nothing, I’ll be good.” she whispered, shivering. 

Norita sat behind her, and in a minute, Dot was unchained. She stumbled over herself while racing over to the mice, almost tripping over her hair and the shards of glass, her ankles and wrists aching, her tail dragging on the floor. 

She knelt in front of them. “Brain! Pinky! Oh, oh my…” Dot glanced down at the blood already on the rope. “Okay, okay, that’s bad, but I can fix it. I’m so sorry, but everything’s going to be okay!” 

“No, no-” Brain muttered. 

“Don’t…” Pinky sputtered. 

“Shh, shh!” Dot began to wrap her hair around the mice, around the beam they were tied against. It almost looked like they were tied by her hair again, as they had just two days before, dangling from the ceiling, not knowing how much they’d mean to her in such a short amount of time. 

“Dot…” Pinky reached out, and though his arm was tied to his side, he managed to grab the edge of her hair. “We can’t let you do this…” 

Dot shook her head. “But I can’t let you die.” Brain tried to speak, but Dot shushed him again. “It’s gonna be alright. I promise.” 

She sat back, edging away from the shards of glass. As she pushed them to the side, Brain finally managed to mutter. 

“Pinky… are you pondering… what I’m pondering?” 

Pinky glanced down, and then said, his voice already hoarse, “I think so, Brain.” 

Dot opened her mouth to sing, but at that moment, Brain used his remaining strength to  _ stomp  _ on the edge of the shard of glass that had landed on the floor before him. It flew up into the air, and Pinky leaned his head up and caught it in his mouth. Then, with a slash, he’d torn it across her fur. 

With that, the shard clattered to the floor, and everything began happening very, very fast. 

“Pinky! Brain! What-?” Dot shouted, but as she spoke, she could already see, in the dim light, something changing. Her fur was darkening, shifting from gold to a rich, midnight black. She gasped, but it was lost in the din of Norita’s scream. 

_ “What have you done?”  _

Dot looked down, seeing thirty feet of her hair, now lying lifeless on the ground, and shifting to black. Norita scrambled for the ends, as if keeping them in her arms could keep them magic. But they faded, and she screeched again and ran to what was left of the mirror. Dot’s eyes widened in horror as her captor’s hair changed, too, fading to gray, her skin wrinkling. 

_ “What have you  _ done,  _ Dottie?”  _

Dot was struggling to breathe, now, her breath caught in her throat. Norita pulled her cloak’s hood over her head, screaming in horror, and she stumbled backwards. 

As she did, Dot reacted on instinct, something she would come to question of herself much later. But as Norita moved back, Dot felt a mixture of terror and anger swell within her, and she looked down to see the woman about to step on the remains of her hair. Dot then grabbed the end nearest to her and  _ pulled, _ lifting it enough that Norita tripped. She screamed… and fell backwards out of the tower door. 

At that, Dot realized what was happening, and shouted, leaping to her feet and racing after her, reaching, as if she could catch her and undo what had been done. But Norita fell from the door, and by the time Dot had raced to the balcony and looked over, searching, she only saw an old cloak, surrounded by dust. 

She was gone. 

Dot didn’t have time to figure out her emotions, though- she raced back into the tower and knelt in front of the mice. The hair had fallen from around them, and she swiftly cut the rope, only to see them still bleeding, cuts on their backs that went deep. 

“No, no, no, no…” Dot shook her head. “No, there’s gotta be something-” 

“Dot-” 

“No, no,  _ look at me, look at me,  _ stay with me, I’m right here.” Dot’s eyes began darting through the room. She eventually reached for the glass shard that had freed her and damned her friends, and began chopping away at the rest of her elongated fur, letting more dark strands fall to the ground, not thinking clearly at all. “Maybe- maybe if we cut it again, it’ll come back- maybe-” 

“Dot…” 

Dot sobbed, letting the glass drop, staring into the reflection, her fur remaining black, only now she had given herself a messy, uneven pixie cut. She leaned down, picking up the mice and pressing them against her head, hoping that maybe, just maybe… 

_ “Flower gleam and glow, let your… power shine…”  _

Nothing. 

_ “Make the clock reverse! Bringbackwhatoncewasmine!”  _

“Dot.” 

Dot bit her lip, and then finally started to sob. She sat back on the floor and moved her hands in front of her, so she could look down at the two mice. They ended up scooting together, holding hands and leaning on each other, looking up at her as she cried. 

“It’s okay.” Pinky said quietly. 

“You’re free now.” Brain added. 

Dot shook her head. “No, no, no, it wasn’t supposed to happen like this- we’re supposed to be a family now. That was my new dream. No, no…” 

She blinked, and then when she opened her eyes, they weren’t moving anymore. 

She shook, cries echoing throughout the tower, and she curled up against herself, pressing the mice to her fur, trying to feel for any kind of heartbeat. She rocked back-and-forth, her body aching, grief and shock coursing through her, trying to ignore the remains of her fur scattered around the tower, the glass still shining on the floor, the fact that the woman who’d raised her was now gone forever, and even worse- her new family was, too. She didn’t know how long she cried there, just holding the two mice and letting her sadness overwhelm her. But eventually, the shock faded, and only sadness remained, despair at what she’d lost. 

Dot calmed her breathing, and tried one more time, looking down at the two mice in her hands. 

_ “Heal what has been hurt…”  _ Her voice was quiet, like a whisper. 

_ “Change the fate’s design…”  _

_ “Save what has been lost…”  _

_ “Bring back what once was mine…”  _

_ “What once was mine…”  _

Dot bit her lip, and pressed the mice to her face again, letting her tears flow. 

And that was when the last of her magic activated, hearing the song of healing one last time. 

Dot didn’t realize what was happening at first, but then she realized that the mice were warming. She pulled her face away, and then gasped, staring down. 

They were starting to glow a bright, golden color, something spreading across their body. Dot slowly lowered them to the floor, watching as the form of a flower emerged from the light, spreading above them. Its petals burst, reaching out and covering the inside of the tower. Dot gasped as beams of light passed her, surrounded her. It was warm, but more than that, it was calming, soft, welcoming, familiar. A part of herself that had been kept held down, now set free. 

And then just like that, the light was gone. It slipped quickly back into the flower, and then disappeared completely, the light receding into Pinky and the Brain. Dot blinked, breathing deeply and staring, as if it would pop out again and attack. And then she glanced down at the mice, and realized the bleeding had stopped. 

Dot crept forwards, her heart rising just a little bit, just a tiny bit of hope coming back to her. Then… 

Pinky sat up. “Narf! That sure was something, wasn’t it!” 

Brain groaned, rubbing his head.  _ “Be quiet, Pinky, or I shall have to hurt you.”  _

Dot stared, and then let out a loud, joyous laugh. She dove forwards, grabbing the mice and hugging them to her, before standing up and spinning around with glee. She spun faster than she ever had before, now she no longer had the weight of her fur pulling her down- in fact, she felt  _ so  _ much like the light that had just filled the tower, like she could take off flying and never land again. 

“Dot! Dot, we’re going to become ill!” Brain shouted. 

“Whee!” Pinky shouted instead. 

Dot laughed, and then dropped again, collapsing against the wall. She once again held out her hands so that she could see the two toons she was holding, except they were no longer injured, no longer fading, but looking up at her, with one giggling excitedly and the other trying not to smile. 

“You know what, Dot?” Pinky said after a second. “You look  _ great  _ with a pixie cut.” 

“Thanks,” Dot sniffled. “I’m keeping it forever.” 

Before they could think of anything more to say, they heard repeated barking from outside the tower. “Buttons?” Dot asked, cocking her head to the side. Then… 

“Dot! Dot, are you up there? Can you hear me?” 

“Rita!” Dot smiled, and then she lifted the mice, letting them scamper onto her shoulder, and she took off. 

When she stepped out of the tower door, her heart raised once more, and she felt like she’d finally left something very dark behind her for good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....okay I feel like tomorrow's what you've been waiting for for a while...


	17. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT IS TIME

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - REUNION**

They hadn’t let Wakko go to the tower by himself- something something “the woman holding her is probably dangerous,” something something “she’ll need a medical checkup, we’ll need to be sure.” It infuriated him, and he’d tried to force his way into the traveling party, but Nurse had eventually picked him up and carried him to his room. He was locked in there now, and while Nurse had been sitting with him for a while, she’d had to run off just a little bit ago, and now Wakko was alone again. He rocked back-and-forth on his bed, growling to himself, his tail thrashing against the sheets. He wanted to start howling, but his throat was getting tired, and it would do no good to injure himself just to express his dissatisfaction. 

He eventually ended up hugging a pillow, burying his face in it until his tears had dried and he was just letting his anger and fear drive him on. 

_ She’s our baby sister. We should be there. We should go get her. She’s our  _ baby sister. 

Rita hadn’t said much, she wanted their sister to tell her story herself. Said something about a different name, how she’d been kept in a hidden tower all this time, she had no idea she was a princess, she thought her captor was her mother… it made Wakko seethe. The thought that someone would take her away and  _ pretend  _ to be Mother… that someone thought they could replace Mother… he wanted to rip her apart with his own teeth. 

He sat there for a bit longer, before curling against the pillow, gripping it tight like a hug. Why couldn’t they just let him go, too? He wanted to see his sister. He couldn’t remember what she looked like! He couldn’t remember  _ meeting  _ her, he wanted to see her, the last family they had left. He just wanted her  _ back.  _

He heard soft footsteps in the hall, creeping quietly. He sat up a little, rubbing his eyes, but continued hugging the pillow to himself. He perked up an ear to hear the door unlocking, and waited, wondering if Nurse was back. 

The door opened, and Yakko stepped in. 

They stared at each other for a flash, and then Yakko kicked the door shut and ran over to the bed. He leapt on it, and Wakko threw the pillow aside and instead clung to his big brother. He didn’t cry again, but he did wrap himself around Yakko’s stiff fur, curling his tail as well as his arms. Yakko hugged him just as tight, whispering, “Hey, are you okay?” 

“They have her. They have her-” 

“They’re getting her back. She’s gonna be here soon.” Yakko sniffled a little- he must’ve just finished crying as well. “She might even be here now! They have to do a quick medical check-up, she’s probably going to… to need food, new clothes…” 

“I want to see her.” 

Yakko pulled away, then, looking over Wakko a moment, and then he smiled a little. “Wakk… you are gonna be the best big brother.” 

“No, I’m not.” 

“None of us thought to update her room. She’s gonna get there today and have her own bed, and new clothes-” 

“I’m not-” 

“-she’s gonna love you, I know she is.” 

“I’m not gonna be the best big brother.” Wakko shook his head. “You already are.” 

Yakko froze a moment, and then his ears drooped as he tried to laugh that off. “No.” 

“Really!” 

“No, I can’t- I’m always away, I… Wakko, I couldn’t even get the pigeons to tell me where she was. That was all you.” 

“Just shut up.” Wakko said. “Shut up.” He sat up slightly, putting a finger to Yakko’s mouth. “You’re the best big brother. And she’s gonna love you, too!” 

Yakko stared a moment, and then laughed, pulling Wakko’s hand away. “You know something, Wakko? You were right. You were  _ so  _ right.” 

Wakko smirked a little. “I know. About what?” 

“Never ever give up hope.” 

Wakko nodded, and his tail began to wag again. 

At that, the door opened, and they looked up as Nurse and Scratchansniff entered. The two boys sat in trepidation, and Yakko slowly put an arm around Wakko’s shoulder, entwining their tails in some form of comfort. 

The two doctors glanced at each other, and then Nurse kneeled down, getting eye-level with the boys. Then, she smiled. 

“It’s her.” 

Yakko once again froze a moment, and then his face brightened. Wakko leapt up onto the bed and began jumping up and down, flapping his hands in excitement, while Yakko began thumping his tail and bouncing against the bed. “Really?” Yakko said. 

“Really.” Nurse nodded. “What Rita said, about the hair being cut and turning black- it was cut before we got there, so we had some doubts, but she’s the right age, her story completely checks out, and she’s the  _ spitting _ image of your parents. She even ties her ears back like your mother did.” 

“She’s here? She’s  _ here?”  _ Wakko asked. “Can we see her? Please? Can we see her?” 

Nurse glanced over at Scratchansniff. He thought for a moment, and said, “She’s taking this all very well. Vas a bit overwhelmed at first, but she seemed very happy. She and her little mouse friends were going to go to her balcony to look at the view- I don’t see why you can’t say hello, so long as you don’t frighten her.” 

“We won’t! Promise!” Yakko said. 

“Got it!” Wakko shouted as he continued to bounce. “No scaring her! Just  _ hugs!”  _

Scratchansniff smiled, then, and said, “Alright. You know where her room is, ya?” 

Yakko grabbed Wakko’s hand, and they leapt off the bed and took off down the hall. As they ran, they could see the castle was already abuzz- servants racing back-and-forth, whispering to each other, hugging, jumping… it seemed like light had finally entered into the cold palace, and people were beginning to realize that it was there. 

When they reached the outside of her door, Yakko turned, before straightening Wakko’s hat. “Okay. Okay. She’s on the balcony.” 

“Yeah.” 

“We gotta not scare her.” 

“No scaring!” 

“And be nice.” 

“Of course-  _ I  _ should be telling  _ you  _ that, you’re the rude one.” 

“Whoa!” Yakko laughed a little. “Alright, alright, spitting facts today. Okay. Okay. Okay, let’s… let’s go in.” 

They grabbed hands again, and then Yakko slowly creaked open the door. When they didn’t hear any protests, they opened it wider, and then Wakko couldn’t take it anymore and ran to the balcony doors. He pressed against the glass, and felt a light swirl within him. 

He couldn’t see her very well through the glass doors, but he saw a black toon, just like them, leaning over the balcony, kicking her legs in the air and waving her tail with the breeze. She had one of mother’s old skirts on, must have just changed, and she was peering over the kingdom as the sun set above them, practically buzzing. The two mice Scratchy had mentioned were on either side of her, sitting on the railing and gesturing to something. 

Yakko stood behind him a very long time, before saying, “Okay. Okay, open the door, I think I’m ready- are you?” 

Wakko slowly nodded, and then went to the doors, and pushed them open. 

The girl turned as the doors opened, and her eyes softened immediately upon seeing the two children now standing at the edge of her balcony. She slid back to the ground, turning, and clasped her hands together, trying to straighten up and look professional. 

For a moment, all Yakko and Wakko could do was stare at her. She had the same shade of black fur as father, but Nurse was right, her ears were pulled back like Mother, tied with a bright yellow flower. She had the same eye shape as Wakko, and her tail was wagging the same way that Wakko’s did, and she bounced her leg and looked them over the same way they were looking at her. 

Slowly, Wakko approached first, walking over to her. He was just a bit taller than her, and for a moment he wondered if he should step back so that they could look at each other properly… but no, her face lifted up, and his tilted down, and they watched each other for a long moment. 

She blinked, and there was that gleam in her eye that all the Warner siblings had, and Wakko knew immediately that it was really, truly their little sister. 

He didn’t think, immediately reaching out and pulling her into the tightest hug. For a flash, he wondered if that would frighten her- but, no, she grabbed him, too, relief emanating from her, her tail wrapping around his. She glanced over his shoulder, and held out a hand for Yakko, who had been watching with a careful apprehension. But at the invitation, he raced forward and hugged both of his siblings, lifting them for a moment, and then the three of them all dropping to the ground in a pile, clinging to each other as if they’d never let go. 

They did have to let go eventually, but not for several minutes of their disbelieving embrace. Then they pulled away, and Yakko put a hand on their sister’s cheek so that he could look at her face. He smiled widely, and then said, “You’re our baby sister.” 

“Baby?” she said, in a high voice, but with the exact inflections that their father used to have, however that was possible. “I’m  _ ten years and one day old,  _ excuse you!” 

Yakko gaped, and then burst into laughter, pulling her closer. “You  _ are  _ our baby sister!” 

“We missed you  _ so so so  _ much!” Wakko said, flapping his hands, excitement filling him. “There’s so much we want to tell you, so much we want to know-” 

“We sent the lanterns every year!” Yakko said. “So you would find us!” 

“And it worked! I saw them!” their sister said happily, her tail moving in circles. “I saw the lights! I followed them! And now I’m home!” 

“You’re home.” Yakko repeated, unable to stop beaming. 

“Angie’s home! Angie’s home!” Wakko repeated, bouncing. 

The girl watched him bounce, eyes wide, and then she began to bounce, too. “Angie? Is that what I was named?” 

“Oh, you don’t…” Yakko shook his head. “Yeah! Yeah, your name is Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fana Bobesca the Third!” 

Their little sister froze a moment, turning and blinking at him. There was a silent pause, and then she said, “That? Is the second most  _ awesome  _ name I have  _ ever  _ heard in my life. I am  _ keeping that!”  _

Wakko giggled, and said, “What’s the first most awesome name?” 

She giggled a little, and reached, as if to grab a strand of hair to play with. She realized after a moment her fur was too short, so she instead grabbed and wrung her tail. “Well… I kinda, named myself ‘Dot’ a few years back? I mean, Mo- I  _ was  _ just ‘flower’ for a while, but I hated the crap outta that, and… you don’t mind, do you?” 

Yakko and Wakko immediately shook their heads. “If Dot’s the name you want, Dot’s the name you’ve got!” Yakko said. 

She once again relaxed with relief, and her face lit up. “Oh, good.” Then, she turned serious, and said, “But call me Dottie, and you die.” 

“Right-o!” Wakko gave her a salute. 

Yakko then grinned, and did a dramatic pose. “I’m  _ Yakko!”  _

Wakko jumped beside him. “And I’m  _ Wakko!”  _

“And we’re  _ your Warner brothers!”  _

“Brothers…” Dot repeated softly. Then, with a smile, she turned to the railing, where the two mice had been watching the reunion. The taller one was already sobbing into a handkerchief. “Oh, uh, these are my new dads. Can we keep them?” 

“Wait-” Brain began. 

_ “Absolutely!”  _ Yakko and Wakko both shouted. 

“We should tell you,” Brain said, as the siblings all ran to them, “We  _ are _ criminals.” 

“Even better!” Wakko shouted.  _ “Fun  _ dads!” 

“Oh, Lord.” Brain muttered, but even he couldn’t help but smile as Dot pulled all five of them into a tight group hug. 

_ “Wakko, wake up! Wakko-wake-up! Wakkowakeup! Wakkowakkowakkowakkowakko!”  _

Wakko was only drowsy for a moment, before shooting up in bed and immediately pulling Dot into a hug and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Dot Dot Dot!” 

Once he pulled away, Dot giggled and began bouncing on the edge of his bed, her tail wagging furiously. “It’s  _ still going!  _ The party!” 

“I told you, didn’t I?” Wakko crossed his arms and smirked. “We’re all so happy you’re here!” 

“But it’s been, like, a week!” 

“Whole Kingdom’s been waiting for this for ten years. A week of partying is nothing!” 

Dot beamed, glancing at Wakko’s wide window. Outside, they could hear the muffled sounds of the town underneath, still playing loud music and cheering and having a grand old time. “I guess I…” she blinked tears away. “Guess I never thought anyone would miss me that much.” 

“Every day!” Wakko said. He scooched next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders, and she laughed. “Every day, baby sister.”

“I’m  _ ten years and eight days old,  _ I’m not a baby.” 

“You’re baby.” Wakko poked her nose. “Accept it.” 

“No!” 

Wakko playfully tackled her onto the floor, and they laughed and began to wrestle, knocking his discarded clothes and books to the side. 

The door opened, and Yakko jumped in, took one look at them, and immediately joined the fight. They tumbled for a few more minutes, before Yakko quickly retreated, kicking some book under the bed, and then separated Dot and Wakko, holding them by the ears. “Hell- _ ooo,  _ baby siblings!” 

“I’m not baby,  _ she’s  _ baby!” 

_ “You’re  _ baby!” 

“Did you see that party outside?” Yakko asked, before flopping back onto Wakko’s bed, dragging his siblings with him, so they were all splayed out on the mattress, giggling. 

“It’s amazing.” Dot said. 

“And because it’s been a week-” 

“More lanterns!” Dot gasped, sitting up and clapping her hands. 

“Righty-o, my sib sibling!” Yakko shouted, throwing his arms up. “Tell her what she’s won, Wakko!” 

_ “The best brothers in the world!”  _

“Yay!” Dot cheered, before dragging her brothers into a pile. 

They laughed and huddled together, becoming a giant clump of fluff in the middle of Wakko’s room. When the door opened next, they quickly spread themselves out, seating themselves politely at the edge of the mattress like good little angels, and then called,  _ “Hell-ooo, Nurse!”  _

Nurse laughed and leaned against the door. “Scratchansniff told me to tell you that you’re to send out the first lantern of today, whenever you’re ready.” 

“I’m ready now! I’m ready  _ forever!”  _ Dot cheered, before bouncing on the bed again, causing Yakko and Wakko to go flying into the air. “Ready ready ready!  _ Ready as I’ll ever be!  _ Let’s dooooo it!” 

“Alright.” Nurse laughed. “You know where the balcony is-” 

“Can we go out again?” Dot jumped from the bed and ran to tug on her skirt, pleading with her adorable eyes. “Can we go dance with everyone?  _ Pleasy-weasy?”  _

Wakko could see the hesitation in Nurse’s eyes, and he let himself frown a moment, biting his lip and staring at the ground. He knew that the excitement over her coming home had laxed the regulations a little, but they’d tighten just as soon, once everyone realized they didn’t want the princess out of their sight. It was already beginning- he’d noticed yesterday that guards had stuck by his and Dot’s sides while they attended the celebrations, and they’d been brought home earlier than the previous nights. It wouldn’t be long before they were trapped again. 

But for now, nobody could resist Dot’s pleading eyes, and finally, Nurse sighed and laughed. “You have to have an escort.” 

“I’ll escort!” Yakko raised a hand. 

Nurse raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to be studying?” 

“I’m  _ supposed _ to be the cool big brother.” Yakko snorted, waving a hand. “And I’m the  _ coolest.”  _

Nurse rolled her eyes in a good-natured way, and then said, “Alright. But if you get assassinated, this is on you.” 

“Isn’t that always the rule?” 

“It’s what she says every time you talk to someone.” Wakko said.

“Hey, bro, shut up and get dressed.” Yakko punched his shoulder. “We’re going  _ out _ tonight!” 

Wakko giggled, and ran to his closet, where he simply swapped sweaters. “Ready!” 

“Do you  _ sleep _ in that hat?” Dot asked. “Doesn’t your head get all sweaty?” 

“I dunno, wanna smell it and find out?” 

“Ew! Gross!” 

“Race you to the lantern!” 

_ “Readysetgo!”  _

And with that, the three siblings took off down the hall, ready to join the celebration, hand in hand, together. 

Out in the distance lay the cliff from whence the sundrop came. Before it, Warnerstock, lit with the glow of a thousand lanterns. Behind it, a dense, misty forest, the pathway to secrets and magic unknown.

And sprouting from the ground, black, thick, and sharp rocks, glowing with the light of the moon. 

Looking for an eclipse. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh we DEFINITELY ain't done yet.....


	18. Life After Happily Ever After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and thus.... welcome to the Tangled television series...

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - LIFE AFTER HAPPILY EVER AFTER**

_Months Pass By…_

_“Princess Angelins Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bobesca Warner!”_

“Run, run, run!” Wakko shouted, pushing Dot ahead of him while she burst into laughter. 

The two younger siblings ran across the halls, arms filled with sticky cinnamon rolls that were _definitely_ staining their shirts. But they cared naught, instead trying to see who could get to the garden door the fastest. They smiled at everyone they passed in the hall, who laughed and waved and stepped out of the way for the guard that would definitely be racing after them soon. 

“I’m gonna beat ya!” Dot cheered. 

“In your dreams, princess!” 

“Think we can make it before the guards shut the doors?” 

“Why not? We got enough practice in the last three weeks.” 

“Then _go go go!”_

Their paws scampering across the floor, sometimes accidentally ripping into the carpet, the siblings continued their run, finally reaching a stairwell and sliding down the winding railing, cheering and holding tight to their treats as they fell. They leapt to the ground once they reached the ground floor, and raced to a nearby, swinging door. “Still open!” Dot cheered. 

And in a flash, they’d both burst through the door, tumbling into the royal gardens. Still laughing, they gathered their rolls and ran to a swinging bench, sitting beside each other. 

“I think _I_ won that one.” Dot smirked, flicking her tail. 

“Maybe so,” Wakko said, “But _I_ got more cinnamon rolls!” 

“Well, brother dear, we’ve both had intense training over the years.” Dot said, as Wakko began eating several cinnamon rolls at once. “I can climb and run like nobody’s business, because there was nothing else to do in a water tower but run laps. _You_ can steal whatever food you want.” 

“Because I’m hungry!” 

“Yeah, yeah. You want half my stash?” 

“Absolutely!” 

“And what are _you two_ up to?” 

Dot and Wakko turned, smiling over at Rita, who was laying atop of Runt. The dog was standing in the middle of the path, wagging his tail, and he came over to sneak a roll. Dot stroked his ears, while saying, “Just breaking some rules, ticking off the guards, and looking good while doing it.” 

_“Ooooh,”_ Rita purred, _“Someone’s_ gonna be in trouble.” 

“Puh- _lease,_ they haven’t been able to ground me yet.” Dot waved a hand. 

“I was talking about Wacky over there.” 

“It’s Wakko, actually.” Wakko said, licking frosting off of the bench. “And the worst punishment is getting a lecture from Yakko.” 

“You know, he can come with us. Stop being such a sourpuss.” Dot shrugged. 

“His coronation’s in just a week, and he is s-t-r…” Wakko paused, then began counting on his fingers. “S-t-r… i? S-t-r-i-s… z…” 

“Stressed?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Why? He just has to walk up there and hold some stuff and then we all applaud and get cake.” 

Wakko began to swing the bench. “Okay, sis, you know everyone bothers you with royal duties?” 

“Ugh, yeah. ‘Read over the laws again, Dot. Wear actual clothes, Dot.’” 

“It’s that but like, times a bazillion. Once he’s King, he’s in charge of the whole Kingdom. Yeah, he’s gotta hear what the council has to say, but he doesn’t have to _listen._ He’s got final decision on everything.” 

“Sounds like fun!” 

“Not when you’ve got a bunch of people to be in charge of!” Wakko began kicking his legs, and Dot scooched closer and copied him. “Mum used to be stressed, too. Course, she had a lot to worry about…” 

Dot bit her lip. “Was she nice?” 

“And pretty.” Wakko nodded. “And smart. And she could eat more than me.” 

“Get outta town.” 

“No, really! I learned everything from her.” Wakko smiled and grabbed her hand. “You look just like her when you got your ears up like that.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, only fluffier.” 

“I’m the fluffiest!” 

“And I’m bored of this conversation.” Rita yawned. “Runt, what’s say we go distract the guards for the next five minutes so these kids can find a rosebush to hide in?” 

“Sounds like fun, Rita!” Runt said, padding off. “What d’ya want to do?” 

“I’m thinking we pretend to be chasing mice.” 

“We can’t do that, the mice live here…” 

They trailed off, and Wakko asked, “By the way, how _are_ your cool new dads adjusting?” 

“Great! They’re having the time of their lives.” Dot giggled. “Pinky’s real into the fancy dresses.” 

“Did they try to break into the treasury again? Thought I heard Scratchy say somethin’ about that.” 

“Yeah, but it’s fine, they’ll figure out how to do it right tomorrow night.” They laughed to themselves, letting the bench swing beneath them. Then Dot turned around, her eyes sparkling. “Let’s climb the wall again.” 

“We won’t be able to get over.” 

“We don’t need to _get over._ We just need to _see.”_

She vaulted herself over the back of the bench, with Wakko tripping over himself to follow. She raced to the garden wall, made of stone and covered in thick ivy, and began to shimmy up the side. Wakko followed, much slower, his feet slipping on every other rock. 

“Hey, slow down! No fair!” 

“It’s not my fault you never had to climb your own fur.” 

“Not all of us can be a magical destiny princess!” 

“Boo-hoo!” 

Dot did indeed reach the top of the wall in record time, and she pulled herself onto the ledge and slid down, sitting atop and looking across. 

Outside the garden, the sun shone on over their kingdom. She could see the village, just a little bit away, bustling with excitement. If she squinted, she could make out the tiny dots of people running around- thought she recognized Buttons, chasing Mindy- the girl had clearly escaped the castle as well, and was bothering her dog quite a bit. Katie and Tinker were over there, by the fountain, shopping bags in hand. And that looked like the Mime! Oh, he should watch out for that anvil dangling above him. 

And then beyond the village? The ocean, glittering under the sun. And to its left, there lay the mountains, stretching into the horizon, greener than anything she’d ever seen. 

Wakko slid up beside her, smiling. “Wow. This _is_ a great view.” 

“We’re gonna get in _so much_ trouble.” 

“I _know.”_

“But it’s worth it.” 

_“So_ worth it.” 

“I could stay up here _forever.”_

They heard a very distressed call from behind them. _“Wakko! Dot! What in the_ hell _are you doing?”_

They sighed, though their smiles remained. “And forever’s gone.” Dot groaned. “Wanna go bother our brother, or you wanna jump off the other side and make a run for it?” 

“I don’t know if we’d make that drop with all our limbs intact.” 

“I’ve survived worse.” 

_“Get down here!”_

They sighed again, but much more dramatically, and then they turned and scampered down the ivy of the wall, before jumping beside each other, clasping their hands behind their backs, and giving innocent, perfect little smiles to their very annoyed brother. 

“Wanna explain why you’re in trouble again?” Yakko asked. 

“Aw, come on, brosef.” Wakko said. “It’s just a bit of fun.” 

_“Wakko,_ are you aware that next week is the most important and anxiety-inducing day of my life?” 

“We just went over that exposition.” Dot said. 

“Look, this was fun and all before,” Yakko said, “And I’m sure it will be fun in six months when my blood pressure’s down, but we can’t afford any disasters.” 

“You call icing on our clothes a disaster?” Dot perked an ear. 

“You know how busy everyone is? We’re having all the nearby kingdoms come over just for this!” Yakko clasped his hands together, then stared at the ground. “What happens if there’s a problem? Like we don’t have enough food and people start fighting over it and we kickstart a diplomatic incident?” 

“Oh, Yakko,” Wakko smiled, “You know that no matter what, I’ll eat all the food before _anyone_ can fight over it.” 

“What if you two aren’t ready? Like, you don’t know how to talk to people and start offending everyone-” 

“Yakko,” Dot comforted, “You’ll be the one offending everyone.” 

“Or! What if a satellite falls out of orbit-” 

“A what?” 

_“What if Pinky and the Brain try to steal everyone’s stuff and end up setting the palace on fire?”_

“Time out, brobro.” Dot formed her hands in the shape of a _T,_ and then grabbed Yakko’s hands. “You’re gonna do great. We’re gonna be fine. And Pinky and the Brain said that they’re taking a day off for your coronation because they’ve seen how stressed you are.” 

“What makes you think I’m _stressed?”_

Dot raised an eyebrow. 

“Okay… maybe just a teensy, weensy, _tiny_ little bit stressed.” Yakko tugged on his tail. “What if you trip on your dress and knock over the current acting ruler of Ticktockia, and he gets mad and decides that we actually _did_ assassinate the last guy, and declares war, and-” 

“Okay, but we _didn’t_ assassinate the last guy.” Wakko shrugged. “Mum and Daddoo got acquitted.” 

Dot blinked. “What was that about again?” 

“Oh, yeah.” Wakko waved a hand. “Before you were born, the Ticktockia King passed by and like, disappeared from his camp at night, and they _thought_ he went to threaten Mum and Daddoo, but Mum and Daddoo never saw him, and there was a whole thing for a while. But we’re fine now!” 

“We’re _not fine!”_ Yakko said. “Wakko! Do you _not_ remember Scratchy’s constant warnings about the rebel branch of Ticktockia that still wants us _dead?_ They’ve been threatening to storm the coronation and kill us all! _How are we supposed to rule a Kingdom if we’re dead?”_

Wakko moved between his siblings and clapped his hands. “You know what you need, Yakko?” 

“If you say a song, I’m gonna throw up.” 

“A song!” 

“I warned you.” Yakko said, but Dot pulled him up and cheered. 

“You remember that one Mum’s cousins taught us?” Wakko said. 

“No.” Yakko sighed. 

“I never met them!” Dot reminded him. “How’d _they_ die?” 

“Believe it or not, also at sea.” 

“Fascinating.” 

“You were saying, oh prince of cheesy segways?” Yakko asked. 

“More like cheesy fingers!” Dot said. 

Wakko winked at her, but then said, “The song! You know…” He spun letting the light bounce off his fur. _“Let the sun shine on, let our hearts be bright, o’er this perfect, happy, shiny summer day!”_

“Oh, that one!” Yakko nodded, and then picked up Dot, squeezing her against him, as she laughed. _“Let the sun shine on-”_

 _“Cause it’s love all ‘round!”_ Dot joined in, remembering hearing Wakko sing this a little the other day. 

Wakko held out his hands, and his siblings grabbed them, forming a little circle. Then, gripping tight, they avowed, _“Together we can keep the storm at bay.”_

They went back in, apologized to the cooks, and then headed back upstairs. As they walked, Yakko kept moving behind his siblings, correcting them. 

“Back up. Head pointed to the ceiling, like the invisible string we talked about. Tails down, careful with the wagging. Wakko, hat lower. Dot, oh my _god.”_

“What _now?”_

“Your paws are muddy! Did you splash in puddles out there?” 

“A little.” 

“Ugh, I’ll have someone clean it. We can get mud in the halls _after_ the foreign visitors leave. And- hold on.” Yakko moved in front of her, and straightened her flower. “There we go. Oh, chin up-” 

“Touch my face again and you won’t live til next week.” 

“I might not at this rate!”

“You know,” Wakko quipped, “It figures that the first time we see you in days, you’re acting like this.” 

“Look, promise we’ll have fun after all this is done.” Yakko said. “We’ll annoy Scratchy and steal sweets and complain about being locked up all you want. But for now, you gotta remember that you don’t just hand bugs to people.” 

“That was _one time.”_ Dot said. 

Wakko hesitated, flopping his ear to the side. “Wait. Complain about being… but once you’re King, you can change that.” 

“Oh, yeah!” Dot bounced. “Once you’re in charge, we can drop all the…” she turned to Wakko, imitating a guard, “‘Stay put! Don’t go anywhere!’” 

Wakko laughed, and then did another imitation. “‘No going outside. The outside where the black plague was spread!’” 

“Okay…” Yakko sighed. 

“‘Dot! You can’t go to the _bathroom_ alone! What if a shark’s in the toilet?’” 

“It’s not _that_ bad.” 

Wakko pushed his sweater down, and said, “‘Wakkoroti Camillo Ludwig Pickles Bo Nannafanna Fo Fana Warner! _You shouldn’t leave your room under any circumstances, do you want to get kidnapped?”_

“She did _not_ say that!” Yakko said, before straightening Wakko up again. “Oh my God, you’re lucky I have incredible patience, or I’d send you through the ceiling!” 

“Ha!” Wakko laughed, doubling over. “‘Incredible patience’! Sure!” 

“But he’s right, Yakk.” Dot said. “You can let us out in a week, yeah?” 

Yakko hesitated a long moment, before saying, “I guess. Um… I better get back to studying. You two- remember, before the coronation there’s the welcoming ceremony, the festival, the royal banquet-” 

“Who cares?” Wakko said. “So long as we get to talk to people. Will there be kids our age?” 

“I told you to read over the guest list! Ugh, nevermind- I’m gonna go scream into a pillow for five hours.” 

“Is that what studying is?” Dot asked. 

“Yes.” Yakko nodded, before ruffling her hair and giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Love you.” He turned and did the same to Wakko. “You, too. Now, scamps, I want a five-page paper on proper etiquette on Scratchy’s desk by noon.” 

“Did Scratchy ask for it, or do you want to freak him out with random papers on his desk?” 

“That’s for me to know and you to find out. Get to it!” 

Yakko skipped off, mumbling under his breath and hugging himself. Once he was gone, both siblings sighed and glanced at each other. 

“And I’m gonna guess that tonight’s just gonna be this but from the entire council?” 

“Yep.” 

_“Ugh.”_ Dot threw her head back. “Nobody can possibly expect me to remember all of this! I got here, like, a month ago, and I’ve been _so_ cooped up I can’t keep my head on straight! Look!” She tugged on her ears, rolling her head around her shoulders. 

“Oh, that’s cool though.” 

“Thanks. But, like, how am I supposed to focus? I’m _this_ close to memorizing the castle layout. And trust me, as someone who lived in a watertower for ten years, once you’ve memorized a place, it gets boring _real_ fast.” 

“Just talk to the suits of armor, they’re fun.” 

“I just… you get it, don’t you, Wakk?” Dot asked. She glanced over at him, a slight fear in her eyes. “I’m not just going crazy? I just… I can’t be cooped up any longer.” 

Wakko’s face softened. “No.” he said quietly. “No, you’ve been holed up long enough.” 

He glanced down the hall one way, and then another. When he was sure they were decently alone, he knelt in front of her, smiling bright. 

“Do you _really_ want to get out of here?” 

Dot nodded vigorously. “If even just for a minute. Or else I'll _burst_ from inside to outside!"

“Okay, okay, don't burst!” Wakko beamed, and then whispered, “I’ll come by your room tonight. I’ve got something to show you.”


	19. Wind in my Fur

**CHAPTER NINETEEN - WIND IN MY FUR**

Dot’s room was bigger than her entire tower had been, and she loved it. She made sure to make her bed every day, and clean up all her floors before anyone else awoke- they kept telling her she didn’t need to, but it was a habit. She’d started painting on the walls, too, giving the room a little pep. It was weird to have blank walls, anyway, and she hoped one day they’d let her paint the whole castle. She already had murals of her adventures from a few months back, paintings of all of her found family, and recreations of two portraits she’d seen of her parents in the hall. Then there were some flowers she’d tended to in the garden with Wakko, and little swirl designs… and the lanterns. Shining over everything. 

The lanterns still shone over her, too. She had several hanging from what had been a baby mobile, except now it was much higher up and dangling lights. She jumped on her bed and spun it, letting the cute little melody tinker out. She’d have to ask Wakko what song that was someday. 

“Good day?” Rita asked, jumping on the bed and curling up on the edge, flicking her tail. 

“Not especially.” Dot admitted, sitting against her pillows. “Wakko and I had fun, but Yakko’s still stressed.” 

“Everyone is. It’s annoying. ‘Don’t touch this, Rita. Don’t knock this over, Rita.’ I gotta knock everything over, it’s in my nature.” 

“And the council keeps trying to make me sit still. Why does it matter if I sit still or not? Who cares, really?” 

“Don’t ask me, sweetheart. I’m just your cat.” 

With that, Runt leapt on the bed, the springs creaking under him. “Where’s the cat?” 

“Hey, good boy!” Dot said, scratching his ears. “And how was your day?” 

“I chased a squirrel!”

“Good dog!” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Rita yawned. “How bout we get some shut-eye? Sooner we go to sleep, sooner tomorrow comes. And the sooner tomorrow comes, the sooner that coronation goes by and we don’t have to worry about impressing stuck-up elitists.” 

“Boy, sounds good, Rita!” Runt said, before bouncing to the end of the bed and curling up beside her. 

“Yeah. Sure.” Dot sighed. She flopped under the covers, which were still a bit too light for her, and curled up against herself. “Nighty-nighty, sleepy tighty, don’t let the sleeping Dot bitey.” 

“I’d like to see you try.” 

Dot then laid against her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest, as she eventually heard Rita and Runt fall into a restful sleep. She then sat up and went to her desk, fixing her eartie in the mirror and taking a deep breath. 

“Okay, we can do this.” she said. “We’re not gonna freak out.” 

There was a patterned knock, and she immediately tripped over herself and fell onto the floor. She bounced right back up, though, and raced to the door, creaking it open. Outside, Wakko waited, beaming, and he put a finger to his mouth to shush her. She, in turn, shushed him, and they shushed each other until they burst into giggles. Finally, he grabbed her hand and yanked her out of her room, quickly shut her door, and then led her down the hall. 

“Alright, Mr Wakkaroni,” Dot whispered, “What’d you want to show me?” 

“It’s this way, baby sister! Just be quiet, we don’t want to get caught.” 

“I’ll just act cute if we get caught, no biggie.” 

The grip on her hand tightened. “You don’t get it. They catch you wandering around at night… they get real upset. I mean, I guess it makes sense… but, yeah, shh, it’s not too far.” 

They first ducked into a closet, where Wakko dug out two old, dark cloaks. He tied one around Dot, before putting one on himself and struggling to fit the hood over his hat. Then he led his sister down the stairwell to the ground floor, once again sliding down the bannister in hopes of making as little noise as possible- and also because it was fun, of course. He led her past the garden door, which surprised her, and instead to a storage cellar. Once the door closed behind them, he ran to the wall, and waved his arms in front of a flag, featuring the Warnerstock sun. “Ta-da!” 

Dot cocked her head to the side. “You dragged me all the way here to show me… a flag I can see anywhere?” 

“Oh, shoot. Hold on.” Wakko grabbed the flag, and then pulled it aside. 

Dot gasped, and raced forwards. Behind the flag was a tunnel entrance, spiraling out from the castle wall, lined with thick stone. She pushed the flag a little too much as she looked inside, causing it to fall on Wakko. “Is  _ this _ a secret passage?” 

Wakko struggled out of the fabric, trying not to rip it. “It  _ was _ before you shouted that and announced it to the whole castle!” 

“Where does it lead?” 

He rolled his eyes. “The  _ attic. _ Where do you  _ think  _ it leads?” 

“You can go  _ outside  _ this way?” 

“Hold up.” Wakko hung the flag back up, and then gestured for Dot to go down the tunnel. “It’s a little dark, but I leave a lantern a few feet in that we can light. Just don’t trip over it.” 

Dot saluted, and then ducked inside the tunnel, giggling at the cold stone under her feet. Wakko walked inside, reaching until he found the lantern. Once he had it lit, he gestured for Dot to go forwards, and then followed her, watching the light bounce off the walls. 

“So you’ve been sneaking out this whole time?” Dot asked. 

“Oh, no.” Wakko shook his head. “No, I only found this when I was like… six? Seven? And I don’t sneak out all the time! Mum and Daddoo shoved too many stranger danger warnings into my head for me to do that. No, I just go out when I  _ really  _ can’t take the castle anymore, just to hang out in the woods. Or if there’s an emergency.” 

“Uh-huh, and what  _ kind  _ of emergency would that be?” 

“I wanted donuts.” 

“Tell me you didn’t steal them.” 

“No! Well,  _ technically _ no. I grabbed em from the bakery and left money on the counter. I don’t know how much donuts cost though, so I just left a bag of gold. Think that’s okay?” 

Dot, who only recently learned what money was, considered, and then said, “That seems right. So how often do you go out, then?” 

“Not a lot. Depends on when there are fewer guards patrolling at night, if I can get out of my room at all, if I think someone might come for me before I get back and notice I’m gone… that sorta stuff. It’s like a little special treat I give myself. Once every few months, just… out this way. Oh, watch out, there’s a bit of leakage there.” 

“From what?” 

“The sewers.” 

_ “Awesome.”  _ Dot whistled. “You really do know these tunnels well.” 

“I’ve got to. If I mess up  _ one _ time and get caught, I can guarantee this passage’ll be closed up and I’ll never get outside the gardens again. And I love the town’s donuts  _ way _ too much to let that happen. Okay, just turn right here, there should be a grate. I’ll move it aside and we’ll be good to go.” 

Dot nodded as Wakko moved past her, racing towards what was indeed a grate, allowing moonlight to seep through to the tunnel. He handed his sister the lantern for a moment as he peered out, and then pushed it aside, clambering out onto a walkway. He helped Dot up, then slid the grate back, took the lantern, and whispered, “Voila! Civilization!” 

“Wow!” 

_ “Shh!”  _

Dot spun around. They were, indeed, just outside the castle, which towered above them, seeming to pierce the sky. Behind them, the roads to the village, where if she squinted, she could still see the mural of the sun she’d painted months before. 

“Now, we can’t be loud or talk to anyone. If we get snitched on, it’s game over.” 

“Right.” 

“Okay, considering the time… patrols should be moving here in about two minutes, so we should head to the left to avoid them. Forest is that way, hope you won’t mind if we go there instead of sneaking into the toy shop to see what’s on sale?” 

Dot’s eyes widened. “Are you  _ kidding me?”  _

“Shh!” 

“I would  _ love _ to see the forest! It was  _ so cool  _ when Brain and Pinky and Rita and I were traveling through it to get here and I haven’t gotten in there since, I haven’t even figured out which berries make me throw up yet!” 

“Well, alright then!” Wakko giggled. “You know, funny story, I was the  _ exact  _ same way first time I wandered into the forest.  _ And  _ I can  _ tell you  _ which berries make you sick.” 

“That takes the fun out of it.” 

“Do you wanna puke all over Scratchy tomorrow? Cause I think that will literally give him a heart attack.” 

As Wakko led her towards the woods, Dot asked, “Does Yakko know about this?” 

“Are you kidding? He’d kill me! And then tell everyone. And then kill me again. Even if he wanted to come along, he can’t shut up, you know him. Talks about everything, blah blah blah. Besides…” Wakko sighed. “There wasn’t really any time to bring him anyway. He’s always studying up in his room.” 

“Once the coronation’s over, he’ll be able to have fun with us again, right?” 

“Hopefully, though Mum was always busy when she was in charge, so… ah, okay, it’s just past this bridge.” 

Dot looked ahead, eyes widening and glistening as she saw the trees, just across the river. 

“Now,” Wakko said, “Don’t go out of my sight, I don’t want you to get lost.” 

“Uh-huh, and I’m supposing that  _ you _ know your way around the woods?” 

_ “Ab-so-lutely _ not! But I know which direction the castle’s in, so that’s good enough.” 

Dot wagged her tail, and then said, “Let’s go.” 

The moment she crossed the bridge, feeling the blades of grass under her paws, Dot felt elated. She ran to the nearest tree, hugging the bark and then scampering up a branch, letting the breeze blow through her fur, before swinging back down. The wind picked up, blowing leaves past her, and she scampered after them. Once she was sure Wakko was following, she picked up speed, jumping to try and catch the leaves, until she made it to a clearing, where she immediately did several cartwheels, before pouncing on Wakko and wrestling with him in the grass. 

They moved for hours, tumbling through the forest. They reached a wide river, which Dot crossed on foot rather than leap from rock to rock, wanting to feel the mud and water shimmering beneath. “Look, Wakko,” she said, glancing at the reflections. “It’s like we’re walking on the sky.” 

“Betcha I can sit on the moon faster than you.” 

“No way!” Before Dot could race, though, fish swam past her foot, and she squealed with delight. 

She followed the fish down the river, until she noticed the waterfall; she and Wakko then crawled onto shore, but that didn’t stop them from sliding down to the lower forest in order to race behind the fall, soaking their gloves as they dragged their hands through it. Once they’d completed, they took turns choosing forks in the path, and running off to chase rabbits or birds. They reached another clearing, filled with fireflies, which Dot had never seen before, and Wakko knelt on a rock with her and showed her how to catch them, letting them light up her palms. 

“You know, I used to do this ‘glowing thing’ just by singing.” 

“You’ve mentioned.” Wakko giggled, as Dot released her firefly, watching it flicker up into the stars where it belonged. The fireflies seemed to like the children, blinking after them as they continued their adventure. 

Dot eventually turned around a large oak, and then sighed, her face falling. “Aw, did we come full circle?” 

Wakko, who had been climbing in the trees, swung down beside her, took a look and said, “That’s a completely different bridge, Angie.” 

“Oh.” She perked up again. 

Up ahead was a long, stone bridge. Now that Dot got a better look at it, it  _ did _ seem to be breaking down a little, and the river underneath was much farther down than the one near the castle. 

“What does it lead to?” 

Wakko hesitated, and then said, “Actually, you might find this interesting. But be careful! This creaked a lot when I crossed last.” 

He held her hand as they moved over, leaping over parts that had already fallen, and giggling every time a noise under their foot sounded funny enough. Once they were across, Wakko pointed up the hill, where Dot could distantly see something black. “What’s that?” 

“Whoa, that’s a lot more than when I was here last.” Wakko whistled. “Come on, then!” 

They ran up, with Dot’s curiosity growing the higher they got. And as they climbed, she started to notice more pointy, sharp, black rocks poking out of the ground. “What’re these?” 

“Hold on, we’re almost there!” 

They reached the hill’s peak, and Dot gasped, before sitting in the grass. On the other side of the hill, she could see a few more miles of forest, before a thick fog covered everything else; it seemed to block out even the light from the stars above. 

“That’s outside our Kingdom’s borders,” Wakko said cautiously. “Mum said to never go there.” 

“What is it?” 

“Not sure. I  _ think _ someone told me it’s a forest that shifts paths around like a rubix cube, but I might be thinking of something else. That might also just be the way to that defunct Kingdom that fell when Mum and Daddoo were kids. Something something ‘moon curse,’ boring stuff, really. But  _ that’s  _ not what I wanted to show you. Come here!” 

Dot stood and turned around, as Wakko crept through the black rocks, which were congregating closer and closer. She followed him, gliding between the jagged stone. “What are these rocks, anyway?” 

“Not sure. They sprouted here about a year ago? Though I think there’re more now. And I tried to break one once, and I ended up busting a sword instead. I think they’re indestructible.” 

“Sounds lit.” 

“Yeah, but don’t touch em, they’re super cold.” 

Dot put her hands behind her back until she reached her brother, who stood aside to show her a tall, stone pillar, a shining plaque atop it. She moved over and read the dusty wording on top. 

_ “Here laid the miracle SUNDROP FLOWER, which gave its power to save the royal family of our beloved Kingdom.”  _

Dot blinked. “Oh.” 

“Yeah.” Wakko sighed. “I was so pumped to find this for the first time, I had no idea we marked a spot for it! It was pretty cool, knowing that this is what saved you and Mum.” 

“Yeah, you said she was sick when she was expecting me?” 

“Apparently I was sick, too, though I don’t remember. I was, like, a baby. But I got better, and she didn’t, and then boom! Sunflower.” 

Dot considered. “Yeah. Mixed feelings on that.” 

“I mean, it saved your life.” 

“Also kinda cursed me into getting kidnapped.” 

“But you came back! And that’s what’s important. And now we can sit here and think about how cool it was that you were born from a magical destiny flower.” 

Dot nodded, and then glanced down. “Wakko?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Are the rocks supposed to glow?” 

Wakko blinked, and then looked down, too. The bottom of the rocks, surrounding the plaque, were beginning to shine a light blue. As they watched, it slowly spread upwards, until all of the rocks were beaming against the night sky. Behind them, the glow began on the other rocks as well. 

“Uh, Dot…” Wakko muttered. 

“That’s so cool.” 

“Dot, I think we should probably go. I haven’t seen them do this before.” 

“That’s even  _ cooler!”  _

“Ok _ aaaay,  _ but I don’t know what it does.” 

“Do you think that warms it up? So it doesn’t feel super cold?” 

“Oh, you are  _ not  _ going to touch it.” 

“I am  _ totally  _ going to touch it.” 

She edged a finger closer, and Wakko flinched as the glowing got even brighter. “I  _ really  _ don’t think you should touch it.” 

“What are you, Scratchansniff? Where’s your sense of fun?” 

“Dot, seriously, I don’t think-” 

“And… poke!” Dot leaned over and put her finger against the rock. 

And with that, a bright, blue light burst from the stones. Dot screamed, falling back, and Wakko managed to catch her and drag her a little away. However, the light continued to spread, blasting out and in all directions, like a concentrated beam. It shone out into the dark, and neither sibling could tell if it eventually dissipated, or if it was still going, sending its light further through the forests and kingdoms. 

Wakko helped Dot back to her feet, and then said, “So, say it.” 

Dot groaned and muttered,  _ “You were right.”  _

“Sorry, what was that?” he perked an ear up. “Didn’t hear you.” 

“You were  _ right.  _ What  _ was  _ that?” 

“I don’t… um.” 

“You don’t  _ um?”  _ Dot pulled away from her, putting her hands on her hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Your… um, your? Your fur?” 

“We just got blasted back by magical rock light, you should see  _ your _ fur.” 

“N-no.” Wakko’s eyes widened in panic, and he pointed. “Your fur! It’s turning  _ gold!”  _

“What? Don’t be…” Dot froze, then, as a lock of fur flapped in front of her eyes, indeed shining gold. Just like when she used to sing… 

“Oh no.” she said. “Oh no, no, no, no, no…” 

At that, a pointed rock burst from the ground right beside her, its peak almost hitting her. She leapt back, and Wakko grabbed her hand and immediately started dragging her back down the hill, as another rock appeared. 

They kept running, stones blasting out of the dirt, seeming to follow them as they raced away. And when they got down the hill, the rocks started moving faster, all pointing directly at the youngest Warner. Wakko eventually pushed her ahead of him as they made it to the bridge, racing across as fast as they could. Wakko’s eyes widened as the rocks reached the edge, and then said, “Dot, don’t look back, keep going!” 

Dot nodded and ran as Wakko turned and began stomping on the bridge, jumping up and down. “Come on, come  _ on!”  _

When the stones finally began to crumble under him, he took off after his sister again. The rocks began to poke through the bridge, but once it fell, they would fall, too, and he could glance down and see that the rocks weren’t having much luck coming through the river. 

Dot, meanwhile, was racing across the forest path. She was beginning to glow more and more, brighter than the fireflies, brighter than the moon. She ran through the clearing, down the paths they’d taken, and then over to another hill. Suddenly, there was a flash that blinded her for a moment, too bright for her to see anything but the shining gold. 

She leapt, and felt her feet slide across the grass. 

And then felt thirty feet of fur thump onto the ground behind her. 

As her sight came back, she struggled to steady her breathing, and then she grabbed her fur, pulling it up to look at it. She could feel it, she could tug it… 

It was back. 

_ “Dot, keep going!”  _ Wakko was behind her, just emerging from the trees. 

“Um, Wakko?” Dot called. 

“Dot, we have to-  _ oh Holy Spielberg!”  _ Wakko slid to a stop, gasping, as he finally spotted the golden fur. His eyes trailed it back to his sister, who was standing there, clutching strands of it in shock. “What the…?” Eventually, he shook his head and ran over to her, grabbing her hands. “What  _ happened?”  _

“I have  _ no idea!”  _ Dot said. 

“It must’ve been the rocks.” 

“How could  _ rocks do this?”  _

“I have no idea. But they’re gone now! Stopped at the bridge. See? Now nobody will know we went out, piece of cake.” 

“Piece of  _ cake?”  _ Dot gaped. “Did you not just see the thirty feet of ‘ _ Yakko’s going to KILL ME’ growing from my head?”  _

“Not just your head, baby sister.” Wakko said, holding up her arm. “You’re all gold again. Honestly, I think I preferred the black.” 

_ “Yeah, so do I!”  _

“Okay.” Wakko took a deep breath. “One problem at a time. It’s getting late, and we need to get back to the castle.” 

“Oh, yeah, great idea, so we can give our brother  _ and  _ the entire council a heart attack.” 

“We’ve got  _ scissors  _ back at the castle, Dot. Come on, gather this all up,” he began to pull her long fur into his arms, “And get running. We should get back by sunrise, and if we’re quiet, we can sneak up to your room and chop this all off again before anyone sees it.” 

If only it could be that easy. 


	20. What the Hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all getting this a lil early today cause I have an appointment, have fun

**CHAPTER TWENTY - WHAT THE HAIR**

Wakko said a lot of swear words under his breath. 

They were almost to Dot’s room, but patrols kept coming up and down the halls, almost like they didn’t  _ want  _ people to be sneaking around in there. 

“I thought you said you knew all the guards’ routines!” Dot whispered. 

“They must’ve upped security for the coronation.” Wakko groaned. “Of course this had to happen now, of  _ course.  _ Okay. Okay, okay, okay.” He peered around the bend, then ducked back. “Alright, they’re heading this way. Duck into the closet a second.” 

He held open the door for her, and they clambered in, with Dot still grasping the clump of hair in her arms. They waited until the footsteps faded, before racing out and heading straight to her room. Wakko ran to the door, working on the knob best he could. 

“Hurry it  _ up!”  _

“You’re just lucky we don’t have guards outside our doors at all times anymore. We used to have that as little kids and it  _ sucked.”  _

He finally got the door open, and Dot rushed in, dragging him after her. They slammed the door and leaned against it, sinking to the floor. “Thank goodness.” Dot sighed. 

_ “Oh, what in the hell-?”  _

Dot and Wakko jumped, and then realized very quickly that Rita and Runt were still in the room. Runt was stretching on the bed, just happy everyone was back, while Rita had just leapt from the bed, eyes fixated on Dot’s fur. 

“Dot, sweetie, I thought that stuff didn’t grow back.” 

_ “Yeah, so did I!”  _ Dot said. “It is a  _ very _ long story involving magic rocks that I can’t get into right now, just don’t tell the council or Yakko. We just need to  _ cut it before they notice.”  _

Rita scampered towards the desk, while Runt bounced off the bed, following Dot as she wandered over to a chair. “Oh boy! Hi, Wakko! Hi, Dot!” 

“Hi, Runt.” 

“Say, you look different. Definitely, definitely different.” 

“Yeah, my magic hair grew back!” 

“Your what now?” 

Dot sighed and sat down, and Wakko stood behind her, kneeling down to wait for Rita. The cat scampered over with scissors in her mouth, and Wakko stood back up. 

“So, what’re we thinking?” he said conversationally. “What do we wanna  _ do _ here? Maybe a bob? Ooh! How ‘bout some layers?” 

Dot shut her eyes and snapped, “Just!  _ Cut it!”  _

Wakko rolled his eyes, mumbling something about style, and then reached out, pulling a strand of her fur back. He took the scissors, placed the hair in the middle, and snipped. 

The scissors broke. 

Wakko stared down at the shattered blades, and then glanced at Rita, then Runt, both of whom looked as dumbfounded as him. 

“Uh-oh.” 

“What?” Dot said, not daring to turn around.  _ “Why  _ ‘uh-oh’? There should  _ be no uh-ohs!”  _

“Uh, just… gimme a second.” Wakko said. He gestured for Rita to grab spare scissors, and then said, “Out of curiosity, has your hair always been, um, incredibly strong and nigh-unbreakable?” 

“What? Don’t be an idiot, of course not.” 

“Right.” Wakko took the second pair from Rita, and attempted to cut again. Once again, the scissors broke. “Okay, we’re gonna have to try something stronger.” 

“What do you mean  _ something stronger?”  _ Dot turned, and saw her brother, holding the shattered scissors.  _ “Oh, cheese and crackers!”  _

“Okay, Rita, get me the emergency dagger under the floorboards.” 

“Got it.” 

_ “I have that?”  _

“All our rooms do, don’t worry about it.” 

Wakko took the dagger and tried to use it to cut the hair. Instead, the blade bent around the strands of fur. “Oh dear.” He sighed, then clapped his hands together. “Gaggy bag time. Drag the table to the center of the room.” 

“Why?” 

“Cause we’re gonna go wild.” 

Wakko then pulled a burlap sack out of thin air, while Dot and Runt managed to pull her table to the center of the room. Rita, figuring what Wakko was doing, managed to grab Dot’s fur and stretch it over the table. Wakko led Dot to one end, laying her head down, and said, “Alright, cover your eyes.” 

“Why?” 

“In case of shrapnel.” 

“The heck is that?” 

“Not sure, but it’s what Scratchansniff said when I went to watch the guards practice axe-throwing.” He then reached into the bag and pulled out an axe. 

“You better not throw that at me.” 

“No, but I’m gonna be swinging it as hard as I can.” 

Dot covered her eyes, and Wakko immediately leapt into the air and swung down with the axe. It broke against the fur, with pieces of metal falling to the ground. “Oh!  _ That’s  _ shrapnel!” 

He continued to pull weapons from his bag- a mace, a spear, a tiny blade, a machine gun, anything he could think of- but nothing seemed to work. He eventually dropped an anvil on the hair, causing the table to break. 

“Okay,” Wakko clapped his hands together. “We need another table, we’re gonna try the flamethrower.” 

“The  _ what?”  _

“You’re gonna want to duck for this, I am  _ not _ good at aiming.” 

“What do you-  _ oh sh-!”  _

A floor or two below, in the old war room that had been converted into a coronation planning room for the time being, the council and Yakko all looked up at the ceiling, through which they could hear an insane amount of noise, some of which sounded very much like explosions, coming from the princess’s room. 

“Aw, that’s nice.” Yakko beamed, as everyone else seemed incredibly concerned. “Wakko and Dot are getting along.” 

_ “Riiiiight.”  _ Scratchansniff said, hoping that if it was anything worse, the guards would have already gotten there. And, well, that  _ did _ sound like the noises that used to come out of the boys’ rooms when they were little. “Alright, onto the next point of business- your highness, can we do  _ somethink  _ about the mice?” 

“What about em?” 

“They’re  _ clearly  _ planning to overthrow you and take over the kingdom.” 

Yakko crossed his arms in mock offense. “How dare you? Those are Dot’s dads.” 

“They announce their intentions to  _ everyone they meet.”  _

“Your point being?” 

Pinky and the Brain, meanwhile, were wandering the hall. “Come, Pinky, we must fetch a can of mustard and an atlas of the arctic regions for tonight.” 

“Why, Brain? What are we doing tonight?” 

“The same thing we do every night. Try to take over the-” 

Brain and Pinky both stopped, mid-routine, upon hearing what sounded like an explosion from Dot’s room. 

“What in the name of Margery Kempre was  _ that?”  _ Brain asked. 

“I think it was a cannon.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Pinky. That couldn’t have been a cannon.” 

“Alright, so that one didn’t work, either.” Wakko said, bouncing atop the cannon in order to get it back in the gaggy bag. 

Dot groaned, pulling her hair over her eyes. “Something  _ has _ to work! I can’t just  _ hide  _ this hair!” 

“Maybe you won’t need to hide your hair?” 

They heard a knock at the door. “Dot Warner!” came Brain’s voice. 

Wakko shoved his gaggy bag aside, ran to Dot, and shook her shoulders.  _ “Hide. Your. Hair. Woman! You gotta hide yo hair!”  _

“Dot Warner, what are you  _ doing _ in there?” 

“Um…” Dot began, but Wakko shushed her. “Hair first, excuses later.” He grabbed a large clump and raced to her desk, trying to shove it into the drawers. Rita immediately dashed to a rug in attempt to pull it over part of it, while Runt simply sat on the end. 

“We can  _ hear you in there!”  _

“Dot!” Pinky called; on the other side of the door, Brain was standing on his shoulders in attempt to peek through the keyhole. “You know you can let us in, right?” 

“Uh,  _ just a minute!”  _

“Young lady!” Brain shouted. “I’m going to give you til the count of three to open this door! One!  _ Two…!”  _

“Oh, Brain.” Pinky said, pushing on the door slightly. “It’s already open.” 

“Oh.” Brain said. “Well, alright then.” 

He leapt off of Pinky’s shoulders and into the door, swinging it open. He and Pinky toppled to the floor, and then looked up and gaped. 

“What the…?” 

“Oh, Dot! You grew out your hair! Narf!” 

Dot stood in the middle of the room, heaps of fur in her arms, while Wakko stood atop her desk in an attempt to shove it into the hanging cabinets. Rita had frozen halfway through dragging the rug, while Runt simply wagged his tail and barked a hello. 

“Uh…” Dot muttered. “Surprise?” 

Brain stood, clasped his hands together, and put them to his face in thought. Then, as Pinky kicked the door shut, he said, “What  _ happened?” _

“Um…” Dot glanced up at Wakko, who shook his head wildly, before opening the cabinets. “It’s… um…” 

“Runt, grab that end of her hair, we’ll gather it all up.” Rita directed. 

“You see…” Dot considered, bouncing nervously as Wakko, Rita and Runt started bundling her up hair. “Ah…” 

“Did you drink another magical flower?” Pinky asked, hopping atop a stool. 

“Of course not, Pinky, there aren’t any that exist.” Brain considered. “Well, at least nearby.” 

“Oh! Did you get cursed?” 

“Who would manage to get past the guards to curse her?” 

“Did you save a baby turtle and get blessed by the ocean?” 

“What  _ nonsense  _ is that, Pinky?” 

Dot quivered her lip, struggling to think of a decent excuse. 

“Dot, listen, we won’t be angered, we just want to know-” 

She finally burst.  _ “We were super bored so Wakko snuck me out of the castle so we could go running in the forest with the fish and the fireflies and we ended up at the pedestal where they picked the flower that saved my mom from whatever disease she had and there were a bunch of black rocks sprouting out of the ground and I touched one and there was a big blast of light and then the rocks were chasing me until Wakko broke a bridge and then my hair came back!”  _

Wakko slapped his forehead. Brain and Pinky, meanwhile, blinked over at Dot. 

“My  _ God,  _ that’s a lot for me to process.” Brain said. 

“Narf.” Pinky said. Then, after a moment, “Magical black rocks? That was going to be my fourth guess.” 

“Please, please,  _ please!”  _ Wakko shoved his clump of hair onto Rita, before diving at the edge of the stool and pleading to the mice. “Do  _ not _ tell anyone I took her out! They’ll find our passage and shut it down and lock us up and I’ll be stuck forever with no hope of seeing the outside just like before, and I  _ can’t  _ do that again! I can’t be cooped up in here, and neither can Dot! We’ll go crazy!” He rolled his eyes in circles to demonstrate. 

Pinky and the Brain shared a glance. “Well, that sounds familiar.” Brain muttered. 

“Yes,” Pinky said, not understanding, “But from where?” 

“This family and their ‘locked away’ thing.” Brain shook his head. “We won’t say anything, so long as you continue to stay quiet about our attempts to overthrow you.” 

“Oh, we’d never tell anyone about that.” Wakko nodded, smiling and sticking his tongue out. He stood and clapped his hands together. “Thing is, we’re having a bit of trouble, er,  _ cutting the fur.  _ We’ve tried just about everything.” 

“Just about?” Dot asked, as she finally collected her bundle of hair off of Rita. “What  _ haven’t  _ you tried?” 

“I’ve got a thermonuclear bomb.” 

Dot paused, considering, and then said, “Try it.” 

“No, no!” Brain waved his arms. “You are  _ not _ trying that.” 

“Aaw.” Wakko and Dot pouted. 

“I have an idea!” Pinky said, before scampering off and out the door. 

Dot stared after him. “Should I be concerned about that?” 

“Probably.” Brain said. “Now, we could easily keep it off the floor with a layered braid like those children gave you for the lantern festival. But that doesn’t solve the problem of its existence. Does it still glow?” 

“It glowed when it grew back.” Dot said. She paused, then sung,  _ “Flower, gleam and glow…”  _

Her fur started to shine. 

“Yeah, it still glows.” she nodded. 

“Maybe we could set it on fire again. It seemed to shrink a little when we did that.” Wakko suggested. 

“No, it didn’t, you were hallucinating.” Rita said. “And someone will see the smoke.” 

“I’d rather someone see the smoke than the fur!” 

“Okay.” Brain said. “If we tied it, we could hide it under a wig or very large hat.” 

“That might be conspicuous.” Rita said. 

“I think hats are nice, too.” Runt nodded. 

“But then we still have to worry about your entire body being golden.” 

At that, the door opened again, and in trotted Buttons, dragging behind him a child’s wagon. Riding inside it was Pinky, atop several cans of black fur dye. 

“Ta-da!” Pinky cheered. Buttons, once the door slammed shut, looked up and sighed. “Buttons and I got some dye! Now nobody will know you’re glowing and magic!” 

“That’s…” Brain paused. “Actually  _ just  _ what we needed, Pinky. Good job.” 

“Aaw.” Pinky flapped a hand. 

“I dunno if this’ll work.” Wakko said, picking up the cans. “Our fur is all smoky black, but this dye is listed as #100d0e, which is lower on the GB colors than her normal fur would be.” 

“What in the name of Dante does that mean?” 

“It’s more tinted orange, while hers is a very dark pink.” 

_ “It’s all black, nobody’s going to notice!”  _

“Where did you get this?” Rita asked cautiously. “And did you steal it?” 

“We… um… didn’t _not_ _not_ pay for it?” Pinky tried. Buttons barked a disagreement. 

“Boys.” 

“I  _ do not care.”  _ Dot said. She grabbed a can and said, “We gotta get this all on my fur, and then find a really big hat.”

“Oh, we’re going with the big hat.” Rita groaned. “Because  _ that  _ won’t be suspicious at all.” 

Yakko glanced up as Dot, looking a little rigid and maybe a bit damp, stumbled past the room, followed by an anxious-looking Wakko, Pinky, Brain, Buttons, Rita and Runt, and wearing the biggest hat he’d ever seen in his life. 

Without blinking, he said, “Nice hat, sis!” 

“Thanks, it’s in style!” she said, before Wakko pushed her out of sight. 


	21. Oops

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - OOPS**

“Okay, okay.” Wakko pushed Dot behind a corner as she muttered to herself. “We just have to keep this up for the rest of time and nobody will ever notice.” 

They’d done their best to dye all of Dot’s visible fur, mainly by simply shoving her in a tub and dumping it all on her, which was probably not safety protocol, but at least they weren’t using sharpies. Her hair was then piled into the largest hat Wakko could dig out of the cellar, and they were trying to get her to the garden so that the sun could dry the dye faster. Buttons trailed behind them with a rag, mopping up anything that dripped onto the floor. 

“It looks like the freaking ink machine in here.” Dot groaned, glancing back. 

“Buttons has got it. We just need to get you outside.” Wakko said. 

“You don’t think rocks’ll shoot outta the ground the second I touch the grass?” 

“They seem to have stopped for now.” 

“We don’t know that! We don’t know  _ anything!”  _

They turned the bend, and passed by Scratchansniff and Hello Nurse, who glanced down at them. “What are you wearing?” Scratchansniff asked. 

_ “It’s my new style!”  _ Dot said quickly, while Rita and Runt stepped in front of her in case she dripped. 

“Uh-huh.” Scratchansniff and Nurse shared a look. “Well, remember, you three all have an etiquette class tonigh-” 

_ “Soundsgoodseeyoulater!”  _ Wakko said, pushing Dot down the hall. 

Nurse and Scratchansniff watched them go, and once they were gone, Buttons racing behind them, Nurse said, “Should we be concerned about that?” 

“Honestly, we have enough to vorry about today.” 

“Fair.” 

Once they made it to the garden, Dot ran to the rosebushes towards the wall, sitting in front of them and hugging her knees, wrapping her tail around her paws. Wakko sat beside her, rocking slightly, and Buttons curled up beside her, letting her stroke his fur to calm down a bit. Brain and Pinky climbed onto her knees, sitting and looking up at her, while Rita and Runt sat by the door to act as lookouts. 

“How you doin, Dot?” Pinky asked. 

“Uuuuuugggghhhh.” Dot said. 

“Sounds about right.” Wakko sighed. “You know you can take the hat off out here.” 

“Are you kidding? I  _ just _ got all that fur balanced up there.” Dot groaned. “Barely keeping it standing. I dunno  _ how _ I’m gonna do this forever.” 

“Likely it wouldn’t be forever.” Brain said quickly. “We will do some research, and sooner or later we’ll find a way to cut your hair, and you will go back to normal.” 

“But what about  _ until  _ then?” Dot whined. “If that even happens at  _ all.  _ I mean… I’m dragging around thirty feet of glowing hair, we’re gonna have to re-dye a good chunk of my fur  _ constantly,  _ eventually someone’s gonna notice that! And what if I have to, like, take my hat off in the ballroom in case it, like, hits a chandelier and comes off while I’m dancing?” 

“I don’t think it’s quite that tall.” Pinky noted. 

Wakko smiled a little, and scooched closer to her. “You know what?”

“What?”

“You’re sounding  _ just _ like Yakko did yesterday.” 

Dot considered, and then groaned as loud as she could. “Oh  _ noooo,  _ I’m becoming a  _ killjoy!”  _

“You have valid reason to be stressed.” Brain assured her. “But you should remain calm. Worrying won’t do you any favors.” 

“We’ll just take this one step at a time! Poit!” 

“And if something bad happens?” 

“Then we’ll stomp that bridge into a river when we get to it.” Wakko said. 

Dot sighed. “Okay. Okay, one step at a time. We can survive this.” 

“We’ll survive this,” Wakko said, “And we’ll survive etiquette class tonight.” 

Dot slapped her forehead.  _ “Etiquette class!  _ I’m gonna be a mess the entire time!” 

“When are you not?” 

“Wakko, you need to have my back in there.” Dot said. “Actually, everyone! Everyone better get their butts in there and make sure nothing happens.” 

“That might be a  _ touch _ suspicious.” Brain said carefully. 

“Aw, Brain! It’ll be fun!” Pinky said. 

“Which reminds me,” Dot said, “Someone’s gonna have to keep Pinky from stating the obvious to people.” 

“Poit!” 

“I’m on it.” Brain sighed. 

“We can do this.” Dot clapped her hands together. “We can do this! And then we’ll figure out how to chop off my hair and nothing bad will ever happen again!” 

Wakko thought for a moment, and then said, “You know, we haven’t tried letting me eat it.” 

“You are  _ not doing that.”  _ Brain said. 

They spent a while in Dot’s room making sure she was ready for the class, shoving hairpins under her hat and practicing walking without knocking it over. Wakko held Dot’s hands as she steadied herself, moving forwards and backwards and curtsying, while Buttons and Runt paced on either side of her in case she toppled. 

When they checked the clock and found it was time to go, Wakko led his sister through a couple of breathing exercises to calm her, and then helped Pinky and Brain climb onto Buttons’s head, and they all carefully made their way down to the ballroom, where Yakko was already sitting atop the table and waiting for them. He waved excitedly when they entered, and Wakko quickly ran and jumped beside him, kicking his legs. Dot stumbled over, still trying to keep her hat up, before pulling up a chair for herself. Buttons and Runt curled up under the table, taking everyone on their backs with them. 

Yakko eyed them. “We have extras for the lesson today?” 

“They just wanna, um, see how it works.” Dot laughed nervously. 

Yakko shrugged and proceeded to elbow Wakko, almost knocking him over, a gesture that Wakko returned. 

Scratchansniff entered after a moment, holding several papers of what they had to go over. He glanced towards them, and said, “Alright, so for starters, Dot is the only one sitting in a chair.” 

“Oh, yeah.” Yakko sighed. He pulled Wakko off the table, and they took chairs beside Dot, before sitting with their hands folded like the good little children they definitely were not. 

Scratchansniff sighed before sitting across them, and he said, “Alright, are you going to behave for today’s lesson?” 

“Abso-tively posi-tutely.” Dot said quickly. 

Wakko, meanwhile, said, “We’ll behave as much as we always do.” 

“Good lord.” Scratchy shook his head. “Alright. Let’s start from the beginning. How do you greet the foreign dignitaries?” 

Wakko bounced, waving his hand in the air. “Oooh! Ooh! I know! I know! Pick me!” 

Scratchansniff, knowing exactly what Wakko was going to do, sighed. “Yes?” 

Wakko leapt on top of his chair, and shouted, “Hell- _ ooo, _ Nurse!” 

Yakko laughed, while Scratchy put his head in his hands. “Wakko, have I  _ ever  _ said that was an appropriate greeting, in all the years you’ve been alive?” 

“No, but one day you’ll cave.” 

“That is not today. Now, sit down.” 

Yakko stifled a giggle, and then straightened up. “Okay. Okay, we’ll pay attention. Right, you two?” 

“Yes,” Dot said, nervously imitating Wakko’s accent, “We’ll be just dandy.” 

To her surprise, Yakko flinched at her imitation, and Wakko sharply looked down at the ground, while Scratchansniff inhaled sharply. 

“What?” she asked, reaching down to stroke Buttons for some comfort. “Is ‘dandy’ a bad word now?” 

“No, no! You’re good!” Yakko mumbled. “Nevermind, let’s-” 

“You sounded like Mum.” Wakko said quietly. 

“Oh.” Dot felt her heart sink. She leaned back, and her hat began to topple, so she screeched and quickly fixed it. “Sorry! Um… sorry.” 

Scratchansniff glanced to her hat, and then said, “It’s alright, Dot. Let’s just get started, shall we?” 

“Yeah.” she nodded, feeling guilty already. 

“Now. Do you remember how to address the royal ranks?” 

“Um, we got highness.” Dot said, and then snorted, glancing at Yakko. He still stared at the floor. “Monarchs are ‘your majesty.’ And then ‘grace’ for Dukechess. Um, and then… uh…” 

“We got Mark.” Wakko said. 

“Marquis.” Scratchansniff corrected. 

“Yeah, good ol’ Mark! That’s ‘most honorable mark.’ I think?” 

“Mar _ quis, _ but very good. And then?” 

Dot bounced her leg, trying to focus. “Um… knights?” 

“Viscount and Baron.” 

“Crud.” Dot hissed. 

“Just let Yakko do the talking.” Wakko suggested softly. “I mean, he already does anyway, am I right?” 

Yakko glanced up a little, rubbing his hands together. “Uh, yeah.” 

“Alright, let’s continue. We were talking about proper greetings before- for a proper greeting, you are to bow and shake their hand- Yakko, will you demonstrate with me?” 

Yakko sighed, skidded across the table, slid to the floor, and bowed and shook Scratchy’s hand. Normally he’d have a quip to make here, but Dot could tell that the nerves had gotten back to him- it was probably her fault, she shouldn’t have… 

“Oh! And you two will have to remove your hats when you bow.” Scratchansniff added. 

Dot felt her blood run cold. “I’m sorry?” 

“It’s only polite.” 

“Uh, I think I’d prefer to keep mine on.” Dot said, pulling it down farther over her head. “It’s cold.” 

“Dot,” Scratchansniff sighed, while Yakko gave her a curious look, “We don’t want to offend the other royal families.” 

“Y-yeah.” Yakko nodded. “That’d be, like, the worst thing we could do.” 

“I… I just…” 

Wakko quickly slid beside her, putting an arm around her. “Aw, come on, Scratchy. They’ll understand, they know she just got back from being kidnapped for ten years.” 

“They’ll expect us to have told her how to be polite.” 

Wakko laughed nervously, flicking his hand. “It’s just  _ a hat.  _ I mean, I  _ never _ take off my hat!” 

“Hmm, you’re gonna have to take off your hat too, Wakko.” 

Wakko’s eyes flickered a moment. “Wh- naw. Stop teasing.” 

To Dot’s surprise, Yakko also had a flash of panic across his face, before saying, “Yeah, Scratchy. When Wakko hasn’t got his hat on, he sinks into a feral state, and I think that’d be  _ ruder _ than just leaving it on.” 

“Oh, it’s not  _ that _ bad…” Wakko muttered. 

“Yakko-” 

Yakko shook his head. “If Wakko doesn’t want to take the hat off, it doesn’t have to go. What’s next? You gonna ask us all to take off our gloves?” Yakko waved his cartoonish hand. “Do we just have to strip completely to ‘be polite’? There’s some things we should just stand our ground on, you know.” 

“Yakko, you do know that you’re-” 

_ CLANG. _

_ CLANG. _

_ CLANG.  _

Dot wasn’t entirely sure what that loud noise was, but everyone immediately went into a panic. Wakko screeched and grabbed her arm, burying his head in her fur and beginning to shake. Scratchansniff’s eyes widened, and he grabbed Yakko’s hand, as the young prince froze over. Under the table, Buttons leapt up, hitting his head against the underside, before rushing out and standing behind the children, growling at the door. Brain and Pinky slid down his tail and immediately ran over to Dot’s chair, climbing up in order to get nearer to her. Honestly, the only other confused people were Runt and Rita, who shared looks of incredulity with Dot. 

_ CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.  _

“What is  _ that?”  _ Dot asked. Wakko began to cling to her arm so much that it hurt. “Ow! Wakko, let go!” 

“No way. No way.” Yakko shook his head. 

“What in the  _ hell _ is happening?” Rita asked, pressing her ears down against her head. 

“Sounds loud. Definitely, definitely loud.” 

Dot’s eyes widened as, still pressed against her, Wakko began to cry. Upon seeing his brother’s tears, Yakko unfroze himself and sprang into action. He slid across the table again and slowly tried to pry Wakko off of Dot’s arm. “Wakko, come on, we gotta go. Come on, let go.” 

Wakko shook his head, and Scratchansniff made his way around the table. “Children, we have to get the cellar now.”

“Wakko won’t let go!” Yakko said. He let go of his brother, stepping back and hugging himself. “Wakko, please, we have to go!” 

“Where are we going? The hell is happening?” Dot shouted. 

_ “I left the grate open.”  _

It was so quiet that only Dot could hear. She glanced down as Scratchansniff moved to Wakko’s side, carefully trying to get him to let go of his little sister. “What?” 

_ “I left the sewer grate open. Cause we were rushing.”  _ he trembled.  _ “Someone got in and it’s my fault.”  _

“Wakko, please, let go of Dot, we have to  _ move.”  _

Wakko shook his head, and kept clinging onto Dot, who felt her heart sink. 

_ CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.  _

They left the grate open. 

Someone was in the castle. 


	22. Let Down Your Hair

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - LET DOWN YOUR HAIR**

_ CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.  _

It took a minute for Scratchansniff to pull Wakko off of Dot, and once Wakko realized he couldn’t feel her stiffened fur under his fingers, he began to sob, reaching for her and kicking his legs. 

“Wakko! Wakko, please, calm down, it’s okay-” 

“Dot!  _ Dot, don’t leave!”  _

“I- I’m not? I-” Dot held out her hands for Brain and Pinky, who she placed on her shoulders as she stood. “Wakko-” 

Buttons raced to the door, sniffing, and then he began barking loudly, hackles raised. They froze a moment, until Buttons calmed and stepped back. Several servants and guards rushed in, and Yakko ducked under the table, hugging his knees, while Wakko continued to cry, tugging on his ear with one hand and reaching for Dot with the other. 

Dot nervously pulled her hat down, and as she did, she started to feel a warm feeling spreading over her fur.  _ Oh, no, no, no…  _

One of the guards ran to Scratchansniff, while the others began to form a barrier in front of the royals, and someone tried to call Yakko out from under the table. Dot pulled her hat down more and ran to Scratchy and the guard; as Wakko gripped onto her shoulder, she said, “What is  _ happening?”  _

“We need to get you to the hidden cellar until we have the situation under contro-” 

_ “What is happening?”  _ Dot stomped her foot. “Tell me  _ right now!”  _

_ CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.  _

Wakko whimpered, and finally a guard said to the doctor, “The Ticktockian rebels managed to cross the border and make it to the castle. We have no idea how they got inside, but we fear they intend to riot before their current monarchs can arrive.” 

“So does that mean it’s sanctioned by the King or not?” Scratchansniff asked, mind racing. 

“We- we don’t know, we need to get the children to the cellar.” 

“I’m sorry- people  _ broke in?”  _ Dot asked, feeling warm again as she remembered what Yakko had told her. “To  _ kill us?  _ And you want us to go  _ hide?”  _

The guard gave her a quizzical look, and Scratchansniff quickly pulled Wakko closer to him, cradling the panicking boy, and said, “Dot, you are children. Let the guards defend the castle.” 

“He’s right, Dot.” Brain said after a moment, glancing up from her shoulder. “They can’t expect you to fight.” 

“It’s okay!” Pinky assured her. “These people are trained to handle this.” 

Dot flinched, then, as they all could clearly hear the clanging of swords in the hall. Buttons backed up against her, growling and pushing her back towards the table. 

“We can take the back door.” Scratchansniff said. He moved Wakko against his shoulder, and then waved to get the attention of the employees who had come in. “There’s a way out back there, follow me! Yakko- Yakko, get out from under the table, we have to  _ move.”  _

Dot glanced under the table; she could barely see her brother over the crowd pressed around her, but she could make out the back of his head; he was shaking, his ears drooped. She then glanced up to Wakko, who had started tugging on both ears while the councilman held him tight. They were both breaking down. She looked behind her, where Rita and Runt were now behind the guards, with a young laundress petting Runt to keep herself calm; she, too, was trembling, and Rita was nervously glancing between guards. Dot looked to Buttons in front of her, still trying to push her back, and then glanced to both her shoulders. 

She stepped back a little, and then whispered, “I can’t just sit here. People could die.” She again looked to the mice. “I’m not letting that happen.” 

Brain realized what she was thinking. “Dot, no.” 

“Dot, yes.” 

“Dot, they have it handled-” 

“We don’t  _ know that.  _ What we do know? Is that these rebels have never fought against a thirty-foot hair whip before, one that I know how to use like it’s an extra limb.  _ And…”  _ she shut her eyes. “My brothers need protecting. My  _ kingdom  _ needs protecting. I’m not letting anyone die while I can stop it.” 

Brain and Pinky exchanged a look, and then Brain sighed. “Are you sure?” 

“Apparently I have to take the hat off eventually.” Dot rolled her eyes. 

Brain nodded. “We know you can handle yourself. Just don’t take unnecessary risks.” 

“Not risky.” Dot shook her head. “Now get on the table, you don’t wanna get crushed by thirty feet of kickbuttery.” 

_ CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. _

She picked up the mice, placing them onto the table, and then ran, pushing past the guards. Buttons barked, but she simply said, “I know what I’m doing, stand down!” 

“Dot!” Scratchansniff yelled, and that unfortunately alerted Wakko. 

Her brother looked up, terrified, and shouted, “Dot, no!  _ Dot! Dot, come back!”  _

The guards tried to push her back, but she managed to dodge, spinning around them, her hat nearly flying off, not that it mattered anymore. She skidded in front of everyone, before kneeling in front of Buttons. “How close are they?” He barked. “Few seconds? I can work with that.” She then straightened and clapped her hands. “Rita! Runt! Attack formation!” 

“The hell is attack formation?” Rita asked, even as Runt ran out, wagging his stubby tail. 

Dot then turned, smiling at the panicking Wakko, and said, “It’s okay. I got this.” 

“Dot! Get back here!” 

_ “Princess, stay back!”  _

_ “Dot!”  _ was that Yakko? 

It didn’t take long for people to start flooding in the doors- Dot assumed, by their swords and angry expressions, that these were the rebels. For a moment, she thought through their strategy- they may have gotten into the castle by accident, but the fact they got this far meant they’d had a plan, or at least quite a lot of firepower. Perhaps they’d even planned to break in during the coronation but seized the opportunity when it came, this time without fear of endangering their own royal family. 

No matter- they hadn’t been prepared for her. 

_ CLANG. CLANG.  _

They only had a second to begin their entrance, before Dot let the warm feeling under her fur overtake her. The hat flew off, and with a flash, her hair burst forth, shooting around her like a whip. The black dye, then, burst, flaking off her fur into the air, as she glowed, for just an instant, knowing that she had the power of the sun behind her. 

There were screams from all directions, but Dot didn’t waste any time. She pulled her mallet out of thin air, tossed it to Rita, and then grabbed on her hair, cracking it like a whip. “Let’s go.” 

_ CLANG.  _

Buttons barked and leapt first, knocking down the nearest invader, and Dot swung her hair, wrapping it around the nearest sword and yanking it back towards her. She caught it and threw it back to the guards, who finally got over their shock and began to move, rushing against the rebels. Dot wasted no time, instead flinging her fur against the chandelier and using it to swing across the room, knocking several people down as she went. She let herself smile for a moment, as she sent people flying; she hadn’t been able to swing like this since her haircut, and honestly? She  _ might’ve _ missed it a little. 

Also, it was really fun to knock people over. 

On the ground, Rita put Runt in charge of shepherding the civilians out the back door, and he surprised them a bit by viciously biting at any threat that came too near. The cat, meanwhile, got on her feet and swung her mallet in a circle, knocking aside anyone who came close to her. After a dizzying moment as she steadied herself, she then hissed, tossed the mallet, and leapt atop someone, scratching and biting. Buttons was a bit more formal, managing to take a sword in his mouth in order to fight, but he wasn’t above kicking behind him to knock someone over. Pinky and the Brain, meanwhile, had a wonderful idea- or, well, Brain had the idea, and Pinky cheered that it sounded “stupenderific.” But they ended up managing to rip part of the tablecloth, and use the fabric to trip up the rebels approaching them. 

Dot lost sight of her brothers during the fight, but she didn’t hear any sounds of distress, so she assumed they were alright, probably evacuated with Runt. She turned, seeing Ralph the Head Guard duelling with two Ticktockians at once, and she smirked at the idea that immediately came to her head. She threw her hair to the nearest rafter, before swinging herself up. She looked down, aimed, and then split her fur into two parts, sending them down to wrap around the wrists of the opponents. Then, in a flash, she leapt down from the rafters, sending them flying into the ceiling. She heard the  _ clang _ of their heads against the ceiling, and laughed before yanking on her hair to  _ slam _ them back down to the ground. Knowing they were sufficiently knocked out, she saluted Ralph, before turning and swinging her fur at a tall attacker, wrapping her hair around his chest and then spinning him into a wall. 

She leapt atop the table, before doing a dramatic spin, causing her hair to flare up all around her. She then split it again, taking half in each hand, and began slinging, reaching for the rebel weapons. The cool tabletop was a bit hard to work on, so after grabbing an axe she did a cartwheel back to the floor, sending said axe straight at a window. 

At the sound of glass shattering, people began to shout louder, turning their heads in distraction, and Dot took the second to slide across the floor, knocking a woman to the ground. Unfortunately for her, the woman grabbed the fur that had tripped her and harshly pulled, causing Dot to lose balance and drop to the ground. She let out a cry, looking up at the woman leapt to her feet and drew a sword… 

_ BAM.  _

Dot blinked in confusion for a moment, until the woman fell to the ground, successfully knocked out, and she saw Wakko behind her, holding the mallet above his head and glaring down at the invader. 

“Wakko!” 

He didn’t look up at her for a moment, and it took her a second before realizing that Wakko had stuffed his ears into his hat to mute the noise. But he eventually processed her call, and smiled over at her, before holding out a hand and helping her up. “Hey, baby sis! Having fun?” 

_ “Hella!”  _ she nodded, before pushing him down in order to swing her hair over his head and knock down a charging attacker. 

Upon that drop, however, she realized that it had gotten a lot more quiet, and she breathed a sigh of relief as a guard tackled the man she’d knocked over. She tugged her hair to pull it all back towards her, and her and Wakko leaned against the wall as the guards managed to drag the invaders from the room, slapping handcuffs or ropes or whatever they had around their wrists. 

Rita scampered over to the siblings, laying at their feet, very proud of herself, while Pinky and Brain ran over to Dot. Pinky cheered as she again lifted them to her shoulders. “Whoopee! We did it!” 

Dot giggled, and then her laughter faded as she looked up. 

All the remaining people in the room were staring at her, and suddenly, she remembered the thirty feet of hair. 

She glanced from guard to guard, then to Scratchansniff, in the doorway, watching her and Wakko with concern. And then, right behind him… Yakko, hugging himself, trembling, and staring at her with a strange expression in his eyes. Confusion? Sadness? Anger? 

No.  _ Terror.  _

Dot tugged her stand of hair, glancing between her companions, before saying, “Um. Surprise?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i hate writing action scenes :)


	23. Just You and Me

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - JUST YOU AND ME**

The next several hours were incredibly stressful for Dot. She was shephereded away, and sat down in a room, and first scolded for a very long time for breaking past her trained guards and attacking armed insurrectionists on her own, and then second met with a flurry of concern, confusion and anger over the return of her magical golden fur. She simply bounced her leg, crossed her arms, and refused to answer any questions “until I have a lawyer present!” Pinky and Brain were still on her shoulders, and backed her up, saying that she didn’t have to tell them anything that she’d done quite a good job defending herself, so they should really leave her alone for the time being. Brain would add complicated legal jargon, and Pinky would add a “narf” or “poit” here or there, and Dot would  _ hmph  _ and keep quiet. 

She ended up getting bored with the same questions over and over, and while Brain shouted very long words at the guards, she stared at the ceiling and wondered how the others were doing. Buttons could probably get off easy, he was just a guard dog and came into this drama late. Rita and Runt were probably being questioned, but there was no way Rita would say anything, and honestly, she was pretty sure Runt hadn’t been paying attention at all, so he wouldn’t be able to spill anything useful. That did leave Wakko, though, and that worried her. He’d already taken the attack pretty rough, she really hoped nobody was giving him a hard time. She hadn’t seen Yakko since that last glance at the end of the battle, either, and she hoped he wasn’t in trouble for this. He hadn’t known. 

Eventually, they escorted her rather forcefully back to her room, and she said goodnight to Pinky and the Brain before going in and sulking on the bed, wrapping herself up in her hair like a cocoon. After getting bored of that position, she sat in the rafters for a while, scanning the ceiling. She hadn’t gotten up here to paint yet, she’d have to do that now she had the ability! And then after getting tired of that, she sat at the window for a while, watching the night stars. And then, as she rolled across the floor and climbed back onto her bed, she heard a jostle at the doorknob. She glanced up just as Wakko peered in the door, smiling guiltily. 

“Hey.” he waved. 

She waved back, smiling a little. “Hi, brobro!” 

He shut the door behind him and bounced on the edge of her bed, before holding out his arms. Dot threw herself into the embrace, her fur bouncing behind her, and Wakko ran his hands through it disbelievingly. 

“I’m sorry. I…” 

“Hey, hey, nothing to be sorry about.” Dot muttered. She pulled away, wiping a quick tear from her eye. 

“I just- I don’t know why, when that bell rings I get  _ so upset…  _ it’s just so loud and it makes me feel like everything’s happening all at once, and then…” 

“It’s fine! And I’m the one who blew our cover. You didn’t get in trouble, did you?” 

“Not more than normal.” Wakko smirked a little. “I told them I wouldn’t say anything without a lawyer.” 

“Oh, same!” Dot considered. “I’m your lawyer, right?” 

“Well, of course. And I’m yours!” 

“Uh,  _ duh.”  _ Dot giggled and flopped her head onto his shoulder.  _ “Man,  _ we’ve had a long day.” 

“I don’t think we’ve slept in, like, forty-eight hours.” Wakko said. 

“That would explain why I can’t think straight.” 

“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about fur dye or big hats.” 

“Good, cause that hat was itchy.” 

“And that dye was  _ not _ your color.” Wakko bit his lip, then, and grabbed her hand. “No, we just… have to worry about people coming for your hair.” 

Dot stared at him, stunned for a second, before they heard a quiet series of knocks on the door. They jumped, glancing towards it and wondering who it could be at this hour, before Dot called, “Come in?” 

There was another moment, before the door creaked open, and Yakko poked his head in. Dot and Wakko stared at him, apprehensive, and finally he walked in and leaned against the door. 

“Hey.” he said. 

“Hey.” they replied. 

He took a deep breath, before moving over to the bed, sitting on the edge and looking over at them. “So.” 

“So.” Dot repeated. 

_ “Soooooo.”  _ Wakko murmured. 

Yakko sighed and turned to face them. “So. The hair.” 

“Yeah.” 

“You gonna tell me about that?” 

Wakko flinched and hugged himself, and Dot shook her head. 

“Aw, come on, sis-” 

“It’s not personal, Yakko, but I have the right to remain silent.” 

“Sis, we want to help. We  _ do. _ But we can’t unless you tell us what happened.” 

“Nothing happened, it just came back.” 

“We all know that’s not how it went.” 

“That’s all you’re  _ getting!”  _

“Dot…” Wakko sighed, before putting a hand over hers. “It’s okay.” 

“What now?” 

“It’s fine, Dot.” Wakko said, and his voice broke slightly. He blinked away tears, and then grabbed a hold of his tail for comfort. He took a breath, and then said, “I… it’s my fault, Yakko.” 

“No, it’s not!” Dot insisted. 

“It  _ is.” _ Wakko shook slightly. “I… I snuck her out of the castle.” 

“What?” Yakko blinked. 

“We were so  _ bored, and _ we felt so  _ trapped…”  _ Wakko took a breath, before spitting it all out. “We snuck out of the castle through this tunnel-thing, and I think that’s how the rebels got in, I think I didn’t close it, and I’m so so so so so so sorry, I wasn’t thinking, we just wanted to see the forest, we wanted to be  _ outside, _ but then we- we went to the spot where they found Mum’s flower, and there were a ton of magic black rocks there, and when Dot touched them-” 

“It was my idea.” Dot interrupted. “I touched the rocks and he told me not to but I  _ did _ and then my fur turned gold again and the rocks started following us until we crossed a bridge-” 

“-and then we got back in and tried to cut it but it wouldn’t  _ work-”  _

“We tried _ everything!  _ It won’t  _ go away!”  _

“And I’m  _ sorry!”  _ Wakko gripped his tail tighter as his cries got fiercer. “I’m  _ sorry,  _ you have enough to worry about, and now I put Dot in danger again cause I couldn’t wait a  _ week _ to…” 

“Hey, hey.” Yakko held up his hands, trying to calm him down. “Hey, chill out. It’s… well, it’s not fine, but I get it. And it’s not your fault! It’s just… weird stuff happening. Don’t cry. Please don’t cry, either of you.” 

Dot grabbed onto Wakko’s arm as they both blinked up at Yakko. Finally, Dot whispered, “We’re sorry.” 

Yakko sighed. “Listen. I’m… I… you know that you’re supposed to stay inside for a reason, yeah?” 

Wakko nodded miserably. 

“I can’t tell you this is fine, but… we can work it out. Okay? That’s what family does. And it’s just us now, so we gotta make it work.” 

Wakko sniffled, and Dot asked, “What are we doing about the… the coronation?” 

Yakko took a deep breath. “Just went over that with Scratchy. The show must go on.” 

“But Yakko-” 

“Hey, listen, the other kingdoms just kinda, like, got a  _ memo _ that we found you, they don’t know all the magic flower or dramatic haircut stuff, so they’re not gonna question the golden ponytail. Just don’t start glowing and using your fur as a weapon and nobody’ll question it.” he flapped a hand nervously. “We just… have to hope that the magic flower story still isn’t in the mind of anyone dangerous. We…” he reached out, running his hand through her fur. “We can’t lose you again, Dot.” 

Dot squeezed Wakko’s arm, and shook her head. “Not gonna happen. Come  _ on, _ you saw me out there. I kick serious butt!” 

Wakko smiled through his tears. “She does.” 

“Did you see me knock those guys into the ceiling? Bang! Zoom!” 

“Bang! Zoom!” Wakko repeated. 

Yakko watched her carefully. “Dot, honey…” 

“Look, you don’t have to be all paranoid about it.” Dot said. “I’m not a baby anymore. And I’m  _ not  _ letting anyone take me away again.” 

Yakko trembled slightly, hugging himself again. “Promise?” 

Wakko and Dot shared a look, and then turned to him, saying in unison, “Cross my heart and decompose, stick a needle up my nose!” 

Yakko let out a snort. “You really like that one, huh?” 

“I couldn’t think of any other decent rhymes.” Dot admitted. 

“Okay.” Yakko shrugged. “Well… we’re gonna have to talk to the council and the guards in the morning about the- about what happened. They’ll want to increase security until the coronation at least…” 

“And then you’re in charge.” Wakko gently reminded him. 

Yakko hesitated, and then continued, “A-and then you’ll have some more lessons, they’ll want to, um, figure out what to do with you for the party, make sure you don’t cause a scene, I’ll have to talk to them all about what to do with the prisoners- we’ll probably just hand them over to the Ticktockian King once he gets here… I really  _ really  _ hope he doesn’t get mad…” 

“He’ll understand.” Dot shrugged. “I mean, what did he expect us to do? Sit there and let them take over the kingdom?” 

Yakko faltered, then, his eyes flashing with a grief Dot hadn’t seen before. Then he said, softly, “You know, Dad said the same thing, when…” he shut his eyes, and then slid off the bed, moving in front of Dot. He put his hands on her cheeks, looking at her smiling face, and then glanced down, once again running his hand through her long fur. He let the strands slip through his fingers, one by one, unable to tear his eyes away. 

Finally, he said, “I’m sorry.” 

“Hey.  _ You _ have even less to be sorry about than us.” Dot said. “This wasn’t your idea.” 

“I- look, I…” 

“You’re not the one who gave me magic hair. It’s okay.” 

Yakko continued staring, and then he backed up, breathed deep, and said, “We should get to bed. The guards’ll be upset we’re out of our rooms.” 

“Um, actually!” Wakko said, bouncing nervously and linking his arm with Dot’s. “I was thinking, well- Dot and I were talking about doing a sleepover at some point soon-” 

“Yeah!” Dot’s face lit up. “And this would be a  _ great  _ time to do it!” 

“Sibling night! Won’t that be fun?” 

“We were talking, you know, about building a bunk bed and sharing a room at some point, we wanted to test it out.” 

“And let’s do it tonight! Because, well, we all had a very long day and we should de-stress together.” 

“Pleasey-weasy?” 

Yakko smiled ruefully at his younger siblings, pleading with their eyes, and shook his head. “I,  _ uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh, _ don’t think I can tonight.” 

_ “Aaw.”  _ Wakko and Dot pouted. 

“But,” Yakko put one hand on each of his siblings’ shoulders. “Maybe tomorrow night. De-stress before the coronation. You can tell me about your, um… magic rocks, and then we can do something stupid and forget all of this.” 

“Define something stupid.” Wakko raised a hand. 

“Literally anything you do for fun, Wakko.” 

“Oh, sounds like a party!” 

Yakko laughed, and then said, “Alright. You two have fun, though. Goodnight, sibs.” 

“Night, Yakk-Attack!” Dot waved. 

Wakko gave him a salute. “Until the morning, Sir Yakksalot!” 

“Watch it, or I’m staying up later than you tomorrow and painting your faces with whipped cream.” 

“Delicious!” 

“Wakko.”

Yakko waved, and then left the room. 

When the door shut, Dot turned to Wakko and said, “I mean it. It’s not your fault.” 

“It’s not yours, either.” 

“Let’s just…” Dot sighed. “Let’s just agree to blame those black rocks, huh? At least until further notice.” 

“Until further notice.” Wakko nodded. Then, he reached behind Dot and grabbed a pillow. “Let’s have a pillow fight and not talk about anything serious for the rest of time.” 

“Sounds good.” Dot said, before grabbing a pillow and immediately pummeling him in the stomach. He flopped over on the bed, screaming betrayal, and they began to play-fight, which they’d continue long into the night, until falling asleep on top of each other. 

Yakko shut the door, took a deep, shaky breath, and then immediately turned and started running back to his room. 

He’d thought he’d be able to do this. He’d thought that he could talk to them without breaking down, without his emotions getting the better of him, but all he had to do was look at Dot, and all of his worries piled on top of him, reminding him of what he’d failed to do, what he’d  _ done. _ And he couldn’t quiet the worries now; he was alone, he didn’t have anyone to talk to, to annoy or make laugh or entertain in  _ any _ way so that he didn’t feel like a failure, and so that he wouldn’t have to think about  _ anything.  _

He started to tug on his ears as words began flooding to him, his own thoughts slamming against his brain, screaming at him that  _ “you should have been a better big brother. It’s all your fault.”  _

_ No, it’s not!  _

_ “You know it is, Yakk. Don’t deny it.”  _

Yakko was so close to his room. He could break down where nobody could see him. No servants, no council members, and  _ God forbid  _ his siblings. He was the strong one, the smart one, the funny one, he wasn’t the one who cried. He’d already failed once today, during the attack. He’d completely… 

_ Stop it! Stop it!  _

_ “That was your fault, too. They were after you, you know.”  _

_ No! Stop it! Stop thinking!  _

_ “You know they were. If it weren’t for you, Wakko and Dot would be safe.”  _

_ Stop it!  _

_ “You’re the worst brother, the worst son, and you’re going to be the worst King. You know it. It’s  _ all _ your fault.”  _

He was just a hallway away from safety, but his own mind screeched at him, making the length of space between him and his room feel like miles upon miles. 

_ “If you’d only been better, Mom and Dad wouldn’t have left on that ship. It’s your fault Wakko’s an orphan.”  _

_ Stop it! That’s a lie!  _

_ “It’s your fault he feels trapped, that he’s been alone his entire life.”  _

_ Stop it!  _

He reached his door, and fumbled with the knob. 

_ “And don’t forget…”  _

_ STOP IT!  _

_ “It’s your fault Dot was taken away.”  _

He threw open the door, rushing inside. 

_ No! No! No!  _

_ “If it wasn’t for you, she wouldn’t be the sundrop! You’re the reason her and Mom almost died! And now you’re the reason Mom  _ is _ dead, and Dad, too, and one day everyone you care about will be gone because of you!”  _

_ “This is  _ your fault!” 

Yakko shut the door behind him, and then sank to the floor and  _ screamed.  _

And with his scream, ice burst from him, coating the room in a thick sheet of cold.

It only took a flash, and then the room was covered. Frost filled up the windows, blocking the view to the gardens outside. The crystallized snow shot up the wall, with icicles growing from the ceiling, forming the shape of teardrops and threatening to fall. The floor was thickly coated in ice, droplets of snow covering the desks and books, and the bed went from a dark red to a pale blue as the cold flashed over it. The ice surrounding the huddled boy on the floor, against the door and spreading to the wood floorboards, formed the shape of an unusual, pointed snowflake, sharp and dangerous. 

When he’d screamed, his dye flaked off his fur and seeped into the ice, fading away until it was no more, replaced by snowdrops that formed midair, and then there was just the albino prince, crying and screaming and pounding his fists against the glacier-like ground. 

_ It’s your fault. You didn’t conceal it enough.  _

And for the rest of the night, Yakko continued to scream and sob in his frozen room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. 
> 
> I feel like this might be a controversial twist.
> 
> But I do want you to know I've had this planned out from the start. A couple of you noticed from the earlier chapters, and I put hints as far back as Chapter One.
> 
> Full Yakko backstory is coming in a few days in a two-part chapter. We have a little bit to get through before then, but, uh, you may see why I've been implying Tangled Season One will be quite different...


	24. Waiting at the Door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Promise the backstory's coming. But for now, let's see what those other sibs are up to...

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - WAITING AT THE DOOR**

Wakko and Dot’s sleepover went pretty well, and Dot awoke first, squiggling out of the pile she and her brother had formed in order to change from pajamas to her normal skirt. Wakko got up soon after, and he had Dot sit on the desk chair while he pulled her fur back. 

“So, we gotta layer this.” he said. “Can’t have it dragging on the ground for everyone to step on.” 

“Mindy lives here, right?” Dot asked. “She and her friends did a great braid for the lantern festival.” 

“I’ve got another idea, do you have hairties?” 

“I made a ton of bead bracelets a few months back, should be in the second drawer on the right.” 

Wakko moved to her desk, opening the drawer and smiling down at the sea of bracelets. “Oh, these’ll work. Here…” 

He moved behind her, pulling her hair back until he had the trail’s end in his fingers, and he slid the beads through, up towards her shoulders, where he did his first tie, like a ponytail. He then slid another bracelet on, putting it a foot or so lower than the first, and pulling a large swath of fur through it, before tying, making a thick circle. “That takes care of a couple feet, now lemme keep going…” 

Dot paid attention as he moved through the rest of her fur, until she had a segmented ponytail that reached her ankles. She stood and spun, smiling at the light feeling in her feet, and looked over herself in the mirror. 

“You should be able to do  _ that _ one yourself.” Wakko said happily. “Braid would take a couple of people, but give it a few tries and you should get the hang of pulling your hair back like that.” 

“It’s beautiful.” 

“Glad you think so!” 

“How do you know so much about long hair care?” 

“Oh, whenever I was left alone for too long, I’d find some fashion dolls and teach myself how their hair worked. Never thought it’d be useful.” 

“You just randomly taught yourself hairstyling?” 

“And how to play the fiddle. And all the capitols. And…” 

“You’re just full of hidden talents, aren’t you?” 

“Not really.” Wakko shrugged. “I mean, I did all of that instead of the school I was  _ supposed _ to do, so it’s a wash, really.” 

“I think it’s cool!” 

“Well, you’d be the first.” Wakko shook his head to clear it, and then said, “Okay. But we gotta speedrun that etiquette stuff, too. We now have the added issue of thirty feet of fur. People shouldn’t be rude enough to point it out- some of the Kingdoms might not even notice it’s odd- but we should figure out an emergency plan for if the ponytail comes undone.” 

“I could just jump out the window.” 

“Good plan, I’ll go with you so they think it’s a normal thing we do.” Wakko considered. “They might think it a bit weird that you carry around your mice dads on your shoulders.” 

“I can’t just expect them to  _ walk. _ They have tiny legs.” 

“Also a good point! Oh, have Rita and Runt had their shots?” 

“Think so?” 

“Have you?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Hmm. Well, in that case,” Wakko sat on the edge of the bed, shrugging, “I can’t think of anything else we’d need to know.” 

“Well, I still don’t know all the forks to use for food.” 

“Oh, I just eat everything whole, so I’m no help there. I don’t think anyone  _ really _ cares.” 

“And I’m still not caught up on all those dances.” Dot then pulled a list out of thin air and began to read off. “And I’m behind on forms of address, and I’m gonna need to know everyone’s names, too, and learn how to actually listen to boring stuff, which is impossible, and I never remember which paw to use for handshakes, and then we’ve got  _ tail  _ etiquette-” 

“Whoa, whoa.” Wakko walked up beside her, took the paper, and ate it. “Listen. I dunno how things normally work at parties, considering we’ve never actually  _ had _ one here-” 

“Never?” 

“Closest was when you came back and we went to dance in the town square, and that was  _ forever  _ ago. Like I said, Mum and Daddoo were very strict about safety. So, no fancy parties. But from what I know, everyone’s overreacting about how much you’re gonna need to know. Honestly, just be as nice as possible so we don’t start any wars. Yakko and Scratchansniff and the Council and everyone- they’re just upset cause we’ve never done this before. And it’s  _ general  _ knowledge that you were kidnapped as a baby and only just got back, so they’re not gonna throw a fit if you’re not perfect. And if they do, then I’ll gladly go to war with them.” 

“Oh, I don’t think Yakko would like that.” 

“He can yell at me  _ after  _ I bite them.” 

Dot giggled. “You know, I  _ really  _ don’t think biting is proper etiquette.” 

“Well  _ excuuuuuuse me, princess,  _ I’ll bite whoever I want.” 

Dot started laughing harder, grabbing the edge of her ponytail and hugging it to her as she doubled over. Wakko smiled, happy to have cheered her up at least a little after everything that had happened the last two days. 

They heard a tapping at the window, and turned, smiling, to see Pesto and Squit outside, peering in. Dot ran to the window, opening it and leaning on the sill. “Hell- _ ooo,  _ birds!” 

Squit blinked. “Huh. Did’ja do something new with your fur or something?” 

“Squit, you idiot!” Pesto gave him a quick smack upside the head. “The magic golden hair is back. Everyone’s talking about it.” 

Dot frowned. “Everyone?” 

“It’s kinda a big deal, princess.” 

Wakko moved up behind her, putting a hand on her back. “What’s up, gang birds?” 

“Oh, uh, your dads wanted us to give you a message.” Squit said. 

“Which is stupid.” Pesto rolled his eyes. “What are we, messenger doves?” 

“What’s the message?” Dot asked. 

Squit paused, recounting. “Uh, they wanted to make sure you’re doing okay, and that everyone’s not giving you a hard time, and that you’re not locked in your room forever. And also ‘narf.’” 

Dot giggled. “Well, tell them that I’m fine, that I’ll probably once again get outta the room to classes tonight, and ‘narf’ to them, too.” 

“Oh, come on, we gotta fly all the way back there?” Pesto groaned. 

“It’s alright, Pesto, we’ll get some good flying in!” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“It means we’ll get some good flying in.” 

“Are you saying that I’m  _ not _ a good flier?” 

“Oh boy.” Wakko giggled, before taking Dot’s hand and leading her back to the middle of the room as the pigeons argued. “Remind me why we let them on the castle grounds again?” 

“Cause they helped you find me and also I think they’re fun.” 

“Fair enough. What should we do, then?” 

“They probably won’t want us in the garden.” Dot sighed. “However, I bet we can still go to the library, if we say we’re studying up on the culture of some land or another that’s coming to visit.” 

“Library?” 

“Yeah.” Dot then raised her brows, and swung her hair. “I can use  _ this _ to get to the top shelves, with all those forbidden books they don’t want us to read.” 

Wakko’s eyes widened with excitement, and his tail began to wag. “Sounds like fun! Let’s do it!” 

They didn’t see Yakko all the rest of the day. They saw plenty of the council, of course, first in the Library, scolding them for tying Dot’s fur to the top shelf and almost toppling an entire bookcase, and then in the later emergency classes. Wakko mostly got the same etiquette stuff, while Dot was told over and over to  _ not leave anyone’s sightline for more than a few seconds, we mean it, do not go anywhere without at least two escorts, holy crap.  _

She complained about it to Wakko and Rita around lunchtime, sitting on the stairwell with their sandwiches. “It’s like they think I  _ want _ to bust outta the castle and get more magic hair.” 

Wakko flinched, glancing to the cat, and Rita said, “Dot… they don’t want anyone to nab you again. Now that your fur is back…” 

“Did they not see me beat the crap outta assassins yesterday?” 

“You can’t blame em.” Rita shrugged, curling up at her side. “They’ve never seen anything like this.” 

“Yeah, we haven’t had any magic in our kingdom since Mum and Daddoo were kids.” 

Dot blinked. “What happened when they were kids?” 

“Honestly, I do  _ not _ remember. It was during a history lesson and you know I can’t pay attention during those unless Yakko’s the one teaching me. Oh! I think Yakko remembers, though, we can ask him tonight.” 

“Yeah! Or we could go back to the library-” 

“I think the librarians are still a bit upset with us.” 

“We can go to the library  _ tomorrow,  _ then.” Dot then sat up. “Now, quiz me on everyone’s form of address.” 

“Okay. When you send a package back, you put your name in the corner-” 

_ “That’s not what I meant,”  _ Dot punched him in the side,  _ “And you know it!”  _

She glanced to the side, then, as Pinky and the Brain rushed by, carrying several tomatoes above their heads. 

“Hey, guys. Good luck with whatever your plan is tonight!” Dot waved. 

“Thanks, Dot!  _ Narf!”  _

After their much-more-stressful-than-usual classes had ended, Dot was then taken up to the hospital wing, though she was a bit confused as to why. Wakko tried to follow her, only to be held back to go over his lessons again, since it stuck in his head even less than hers. Rita followed, though, and curled on the cot she sat on while Nurse checked her over. 

“They just want to make sure nothing’s injured.” Nurse explained, after lifting her ponytail. “Wow, how do you carry all of this around? Must be heavy.” 

“Not really.” Dot shrugged. “Also I can throw anvils, so like, maybe I’m just strong.” 

“Toon logic, yeah.” Nurse said. She then moved to Dot’s front, checking over her face. “You  _ seem _ fine.” 

“I should be. I’ve got magic hair.” 

Nurse thought for a moment. “Does it still…” 

“Glow? Yeah.” 

“No, no. Do the… ‘healing’ power.” 

“Well, of cou-” Dot then cut herself off, thinking. Actually… “We haven’t really tested that yet. But I don’t see why  _ not.”  _

“Well, you had the healing power kept inside of you, we think.” Nurse explained. “But you passed that on when you cured the mice. So while your hair and its glow may be back, it may have lost its healing ability. I don’t have anyone injured here to test-” 

“I stepped on a thorn earlier.” Rita suggested, lifting a paw. “Wanna see if you can make this hurt less?” 

“Oh! Sure.” Dot pulled her cat’s paw over to her ponytail, shoving it into the thick fur.  _ “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine…”  _

Nurse watched with amazement as the princess’s body began to glow, while Rita simply yawned. Dot sang through the whole song, almost on instinct; it had been so long since she’d been through this routine, but she’d done it so often throughout her life, it honestly felt like something had gone back to normal. 

_ “Bring back what once was mine… what once was mine…”  _

When her hair dimmed, Rita removed her paw. 

“Well?” 

Rita carefully pressed her paw onto the bedspread, and then flinched. 

“Ow, son of a- nope, it still hurts.” 

“Oh.” Dot’s face fell slightly. 

Nurse sat beside her, smiling a little and putting her arm around her. “That might be a good thing, Princess. Without the healing magic, less people would, um-” 

“Want to kidnap me?” 

“Yeah, you could say it like that.” 

Dot considered, and then looked up at the nurse and batted her eyes. “Or they  _ might _ want to kidnap me because I’m  _ so stinking cute!”  _

Nurse laughed, and then ruffled the top of her head. “Yeah, maybe! But it’s less of a concern than the magic hair. So that’s nice, at least.” 

“That’s nice.” Dot repeated.

That night, Dot returned to her room, where Wakko had already set up a hammock above her window in case it got too warm to cuddle. Rita and Runt had already fallen asleep on the edge of her bed, so Dot took a position sitting in front of the door, staring up at it. 

Wakko didn’t question her, but finished setting up the hammock, and then emptied her junk drawer, instead filling it with whatever hair stuff he’d managed to collect while she was gone- brushes, combs, hairties, flea-repellant, that sort of thing. It took him a while to finish, because he wasn’t very good at organizing, but once he completed his work, he slid the drawer back into place, and then turned. 

Dot was still waiting, staring up at the door. 

Wakko sighed and sat beside her, and they remained in silence for a while. Then Wakko said, “You don’t have to wait, you know. He’ll come when he’s ready.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

Wakko bit his lip. “You know, we can have fun, just the two of us. We do that all the time, we don’t have to wait up.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Come on, let’s spin around in the hammock til we get stuck in it.” 

“In a sec. I’m sure he’s almost here.” 

Wakko blinked at her, and glanced between his sister and the door. Then, quietly, he said, “He might take a while.” 

“That’s fine. He’s probably just going over that King stuff. Like coronation plans, and yesterday’s criminals. We can wait.” 

“I’m just saying… I wait for him a lot, and so, I, uh, know that he might not… we might as well just start having fun without him.” 

“Just a few more minutes?” 

“Can’t we just do something?” 

“Just a  _ few  _ more minutes. He promised he’d come.” 

“...okay.” 

Yakko didn’t come. 

Dot eventually did move on, finding stuff to do with Wakko, but there was a melancholy air about her, and she kept glancing at the door, as if expecting their oldest brother to burst through at any second. 

After a while, while Wakko braided Dot’s fur for bed, he said, “Don’t take it personally. He’s like this all the time. Been that way forever.” 

“He just seemed like he wanted to come.” 

“He probably did, and then something came up, or he forgot, or changed his mind. He’s either the life of the party, or he’s in his room ignoring everyone. That’s just Yakko.” 

“It seems wrong.” 

“Maybe.” Wakko completed his braid, and then smiled as he tied a ribbon to the bottom. “This really is fun, you know. The hair.” 

“I guess. I was never allowed to style it in the tower, so…” 

“Can I bring that woman back so I can kill her again?” 

“Ha-ha.” Dot stood, spinning in the braid, and then turned. “Okay, your turn.” 

“My turn?” 

“For furstyling.” 

“Um, Dot, I dunno if you noticed, but I haven’t got fur to style.” 

“Nonsense. I can see how fluffy you are, I bet you got something I can make pigtails outta under your hat.” 

Before Wakko could stop her, Dot skipped up behind him, pulling his hat off. Wakko immediately flinched and stiffened, shutting his eyes tight and clenching his fists. For a moment, Dot didn’t understand why, but then she looked down at his fur. He had three little tufts on top, making some form of bangs, very similar to Yakko. However, the center tuft looked a bit different. Dot slowly moved in front of Wakko to get a better look, before standing on her tip-toes and pushing his fur to the side, isolating the center. 

“What’s this?” she asked. 

The center tuft of Wakko’s head was white, a shocking contrast from the rest of his inky black fur. It had just a slight tint of blue, giving it a cold, wintery feel. 

Wakko hesitated, stuttering for a little bit, before he said, “I was born with it. It’s… funny, I know. The hat covers it, though, so it doesn’t matter- can I have my hat back? I like to keep it on…” 

“Wakko.” 

“And it’s not just cause of the fur, I like the weight of it! But, yeah, it is kinda the fur as well, it’s just… I don’t want people to think it’s too weird, I  _ know _ it’s weird…” 

_ “Wakko.”  _ Dot sighed and knelt back down, grabbing his face so that he would make eye-contact with her. After a moment, she finally said, “I have  _ thirty feet of glowing hair.”  _

Wakko stared for a moment, and then burst into a fit of giggles. 

Dot laughed, too, and said, “One streak is not gonna freak me out. In fact, it looks friggin  _ cool!”  _

“No, it doesn’t.” 

“Really, it does.” Dot stood and moved behind him again, pushing his tufts forward. “It looks like you’re a grizzled war veteran or something.” 

“I’m kinda useless at fights, so that’s not in character.” 

“I dunno, you whacked that gal pretty good last night.” 

“I did, didn’t I?” 

“Here.” Dot pushed the tufts down to his left, and then slapped his hat back on. With just a quick pull, the front two strands poked out from beneath the rim, the white tuft atop and opposite to the hat’s visor, which Wakko liked to wear behind him. “It’s contrast, it’s nice.” 

Wakko glanced to the mirror on the side, blinking. “Huh, that does look a bit neat. I dunno…” 

“You don’t have to wear it like this all the time. But it looks sweet. You should  _ totally  _ wear it like this for the coronation.” 

“You think?” 

“Abso-tively posi-tutely.” 

Wakko considered, and then pulled Dot down, tickling her and smiling. She laughed, trying to push him off, as he said, “We can be weird-fur twins!” 

“Yeah! Weird fur sibs! We should get Yakko to dye his fur green or something to match.” 

“Naw. Let’s have it be just us. An ‘us’ thing.” 

“Alright! Weird fur twins!” 

They laughed for a while, and then painted their claws, and then Dot got distracted and turned to the door again. 

Yakko still didn’t come. 


	25. Sorry

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - SORRY**

When Dot and Wakko awoke the next morning, they had another dance lesson pretty early, so they quickly got dressed and raced off without messing around much. But Wakko did notice Dot’s glares and whimpers towards the door while she slid her hair into the sectioned ponytail, and tried his best to stay cheery though the lesson in hopes of infecting her. She’d get over it, he did that all the time. 

She did laugh at his antics, which was nice, and eventually stopped to play with Rita and Runt, and then disappeared an hour before noon to visit her dads. Wakko picked her up for lunch, but he was alright waiting for a few minutes while she finished helping them hammer up their space laser that would  _ totally  _ not backfire on them. Once they skipped off, Wakko again sat with her on the stairs with their sandwiches and swiped cookies as she told him about how she used to swing around with her fur all the time and now that she could again, she’d have to start reorganizing her room to avoid unintentional collisions. 

“Sounds like fun!” 

“It is- tonight, I should tie you to the end of my fur and let you swing around. It’ll be difficult, but I think we can manage.” 

“I will  _ definitely  _ fall.” 

“Then I’ll catch you! Or maybe I’ll let you drop. Who knows? I’m mysterious.” 

“That you are!” 

Dot giggled, wiping her hands on her skirt, and then her face fell slightly, and she glanced upwards. Wakko followed her gaze, and remembered that the hall Yakko’s room was in was just above them. 

“He’s fine, really. I’m sure he didn’t mean to forget.” 

“Does he do this all the time?” 

“I mean…” Wakko shrugged. “We don’t do ‘sleepovers’ often so I wouldn’t know about this  _ specifically,  _ but sometimes I wanna hang out and he just can’t. Studying or going to class or just having an off day. It’s okay, he doesn’t have to, like, be at my beckett call.” 

“Beck  _ and _ call.” 

“Yeah! I had  _ tons _ to do on my own. Like talk to the paintings! I’ve made friends with all of them, you wanna join me?” 

Dot smiled a little, crossing her legs. “You know what I think?” 

“What?” 

“I think we’re not just crazy fur twins, we’re tower twins! We’re both stuck- although you had a tunnel out at least.” 

“Not that I could use it much.” Wakko considered. “Can we call ourselves twins if we weren’t born together? Or is that rude?” 

“Who  _ cares,  _ it’s fun to say! Twins, twins, twins! Poit, poit, narf!” Dot shrugged. 

Wakko smiled and began flapping his hands, letting his sweater sleeves bounce. “Poit! Poit! Narf!  _ Faboo!”  _

“Faboo!” 

They laughed again, and then Dot flopped onto her stomach on a step. “Okay, but seriously. Yakko was so  _ fun _ until just a couple weeks ago.” 

“He was happy you’re back. Still is! And he is locking himself up extra now, but he’s stressed about the cornoration.”

“Coronation.” 

“Are you gonna repeat everything I say?” 

“I say.” Wakko gave her a playful punch, and she laughed and pulled her ponytail down, playing with the beads. When she frowned again, though, it was because she said, “Do you  _ really _ think Yakko wanted to come?” 

“Of course.” 

Dot considered. “What if something held him up?” 

“Well, yeah, definitely. Probably future King stuff-” 

“You don’t think he’s sick, do you?” 

“Big brothers don’t get sick.” 

“Have you seen him today?” 

“No, but that’s normal-”

Dot leapt to her feet. “What if something happened? Like one of the prisoners escaped and stabbed him?” 

“I really think someone would have noticed.” 

“We should go check, just to make sure!” 

“Dot, don’t bother him-” 

“What if he’s in trouble? He’s gonna need help! And I haven’t got a magic fix-it button anymore…” Dot tossed her ponytail over her shoulder, and then said, “Augh! I’m going to see if he’s okay.” 

_ “Dot!”  _

She took off up the stairs, leaving Wakko no choice but to follow. She ran  _ incredibly  _ fast, and Wakko was out of breath by the time she got to Yakko’s door and knocked roughly five times. 

“Yakko!” she called, a bit of fear in her voice. “Yakko Warner! Ya- what’s his full name again?” 

“Dot, I can barely remember  _ my _ full name. Do you expect me to remember his?” 

Dot shrugged and turned back. “Open this door, young man!” There was a bit of a pause, before she began pounding on the wood again. “Hey, Wakk, is this door normally  _ freezing?”  _

“He never lights his fireplace, so, yeah.” 

“It feels like an  _ icebox.”  _

“Hold on, lemme try-” 

Before they could step forward, the door swung open a few inches, barely enough for Yakko to slip through before shutting it behind him, preventing his siblings from glancing into his bedroom. He stood up straight, forcing a smile on his face, breathing quickly with how fast he’d just moved. 

_ “Dot! Wakko!”  _ he said. “Hi! What are you _ …  _ doin’ here?” 

Instead of answering, Dot just stepped back beside Wakko, looked up at her eldest brother, and crossed her arms angrily. Wakko paused, before imitating her pose, thoughtfully sticking out his tongue. 

Yakko was silent for a few moments, glancing between them, and then he sighed. “Okay, listen, I’m,  _ uuuuuuhhhhh _ … I’m real sorry about last night, I- I wanted to come, but stuff came up-” 

“We assumed.” Dot said. “You could’ve said something.” 

“I- I was  _ real _ busy with… stuff… the coronation, the attempted assassination, it’s all…” 

“Wouldn’t have been hard to have someone stop by to tell us you weren’t coming.” 

“I guess I assumed you wouldn’t…” Yakko shook his head. “Nevermind. It’s… I’m sorry, okay. I just…” He glanced towards his door, and then said, “Look, we can reschedule, right?” 

“We’re free tonight!” Wakko said, before Dot could say anything snarky. 

Yakko hissed a little, and then said,  _ “Uuuuuuuuuhhhh…”  _

Wakko deflated, while Dot bristled. “Oh.” Wakko said. “Still busy?” 

“Look.” Yakko sighed, then bent down to get more face-to-face with his sibs. “All this stuff, on top of the, uh…” he gestured to all of Dot, “It’s just taking its toll. It’ll be okay, though. I… how about after the coronation? The  _ night _ after, immediately. Once it’s all over, we won’t have to worry about it anymore, and we can just hang out. Just the three of us, alone, no worries, no cares, no magic, just three siblings totally  _ not _ setting the castle on fire- speaking of which, I’ll bring the matches if Wakko brings the fire extinguisher.” 

“Deal.” Wakko nodded. 

Dot hesitated. “Okay, but you  _ promise _ you won’t back out? Because you broke your promise last time.” 

“I know, and… I’m really, really sorry, I  _ really  _ am.” 

“So, you have to  _ promise _ promise.” Dot said. “You’ll actually come and have fun with us.”

Yakko considered, and then straightened up and made a crossing motion over his chest. “Cross my heart and salt a snail, glue an anvil to my tail!” 

“Ooh, I like that one!” Dot finally smiled, clapping a little and bouncing on her feet. 

“Okay,  _ but!”  _

Wakko’s ears dropped. “Aaw, there’s a catch.” 

“No surprises between now and the coronation. No sneaking out and getting magic fur or something. Prove you’ve learned your lesson.” 

Dot nodded vigorously. “Of course!” 

“We’ll be model children!” 

“Who only dig a  _ couple _ holes in the garden looking for worms!” 

“And only steal a  _ couple _ of cookies! By the way, I did save you one, lemme grab it from my gaggy bag-” 

Yakko smiled. “Okay then! We act like decent children for a week, impress the other kingdoms so literally nothing goes wrong for the coronation, and then everything will be just as you want it! We won’t have to worry about anything, we can have fun-” 

Dot then tried, “We could go out into town! We never showed you the bookstore, they have some  _ neat  _ atlases, and I know you’re really into maps and stuff.” 

Yakko blinked at her, and then said,  _ “Uuuuhhh _ … sure, yeah. Whatever you two want, okay?” He took the cookie Wakko passed him, and then used his free hand to once again ruffle Dot’s head and Wakko’s hat. “Love you, be good, blah blah, all that jazz..” 

He paused, though, after moving his hand from Wakko. He cocked his head to the side, looking just under his hat, and then said, with a slightly shaky voice, “Yo, your bangs are showing, bro!” 

“Oh, uh, yeah.” Wakko clasped his hands behind his back and bounced his leg. “I think I’m gonna let em show. Dot thinks the streak’s cool.” 

“It  _ is _ cool.” Dot said defensively, putting an arm around Wakko. “Isn’t it?” 

Yakko smiled. “Of course! Makes you look cool and rebellious. Like you’re about to go  _ shred _ a guitar.” 

Wakko immediately pulled a shredding device from his bag. “Why would we do that? Do people shred guitars?” 

Yakko laughed, and then said, “Well, you two should have stuff to do, right? Class or something. I’ve got… studying, yeah. Almost to the coronation. Gotta practice not offending foreign diplomats. Getting through boring stuff so we can actually hang out.” 

“Okay.” Dot giggled. “So we’ll see you soon.” 

“Of course, m’lady.” Yakko gave a mock bow. 

After another awkward pause, as if waiting for more, Wakko and Dot held hands and ran back down the hall.

Yakko watched them go, then let his face fall and walked back into his bedroom, locking the door behind him. 

The room was still frozen. 

It had thawed a  _ little _ over the last day. He’d managed to break the ice, as well as wipe snow from the windowsills and tables. But the frost still wasn’t  _ gone. _ He hadn’t even been  _ able _ to start a fire in the room to try and warm it up and get rid of the evidence of his breakdown. He glanced back to the door, where there was still an imprinted shape spreading across the floor and wall, where he’d been sitting, of some kind of snowflake. Didn’t look like any snowflake he’d seen, really, it didn’t have the six-fold symmetry- dangit, was he critiquing his meltdown imprints? 

He walked across the room, muttering to himself. “Look, we did good yesterday. We got the fur dyed back in record time, and nobody noticed. Just because you keep screwing everything up doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way! Come on, let’s try it again.” 

Clasping his hands together, he moved to a far dresser, on which he’d placed a quick imitation of the scepter and orb he’d have to hold in front of everyone at the coronation. He’d made them quickly out of cardboard and markers, but it was roughly the right size, if he remembered correctly. He took a deep breath, before reaching and grabbing both, turning around as if facing an audience and holding them upright. 

He looked down, and for a moment, he felt relaxed, just seeing the wood beneath his fingers. 

Then they began to frost over, just like always. 

Yakko yelped and slammed the figures back on the desk, before turning and collapsing onto his bed. He grabbed and hugged a pillow, taking a moment to scream into it, letting all of his rage out there instead of through an explosion of ice. 

He sat up, and said, “Just keep talking, Yakko. Talk, talk, talk, and then you won’t have to think. But you’re gonna  _ have  _ to be silent for the coronation- it’s just a few seconds! We can do it. We can do it  _ without  _ freaking out and thinking about Dot being a target for kidnapping again and how it’s all your fault… oh! Nope! Not thinking about any of that! Nope nope nope!” 

He tossed the pillow back to his headboard, and then stood and cracked his knuckles. “Alright. Let’s try this again. You’ve got, what, five days to perfect this, and then you won’t have to worry about… you know, everyone finding out…” 

He moved back over to the dresser, but he hesitated before grabbing the imitation items. He looked to the side, where he had a small music box, one he hadn’t opened since he was a kid. All of them had one, with different melodies, though he hadn’t seen Wakko’s in a while and he thought Dot’s was probably stored somewhere, since they’d just reused Wakko’s mobile to keep her asleep. Behind the music box was an old drawing from Wakko he’d gotten a few birthdays ago, framed and leaning against the wall. And above them, a portrait of their parents. He’d asked for it to be moved to his room after the shipwreck, so that he could feel as if they were still watching over him. But deep down, he knew that they were gone, and nobody was going to protect him now. Instead, he had to control himself, so that he could take care of Wakko and Dot. And an entire Kingdom, which didn’t help his stress levels. 

“Don’t let them in,” he muttered to himself, before reaching for the cardboard again. “Don’t let them see. Be the good kid you always had to be.” 

He picked up the items and turned, once again focusing ahead and trying to keep himself calm.

“Conceal, don’t feel, put on a show…” 

Ice began forming on the cardboard. He turned and slammed them back onto the desk, fighting back tears. 

_ “Don’t show yourself! Cause nobody can know…”  _

He had five days to figure this out. He couldn’t let anyone know he had these powers. They’d try to take him away like Dot, or they’d take Dot  _ and _ Wakko, thinking they must have magic, too, or  _ worse things could happen to any of them.  _

He remembered Father’s mutterings, that nobody had seen a power like this in living memory, and Mother’s warnings, that magic wasn’t always looked upon well. Dot was  _ lucky  _ that she came from the legend of the sundrop, gifted with healing and light. He was cursed with this cold. Her magic was explainable- a flower people had heard about in stories, one you could explain away as a divine gift or scientific marvel. Not  _ ice _ that just  _ randomly appeared whenever the Prince couldn’t control himself, showing that he wasn’t fit to rule a Kingdom, and that everyone deserved to hate and fear him like the monster he was.  _

“Okay,  _ that’s _ a depressing thought.” Yakko said. He flapped his hands, and then said, “We can keep trying. We’re  _ going _ to keep trying until you can hold it. Then after the coronation, everything goes back to normal and we never have to do this again.” 

Wakko and Dot would understand eventually. They were inside to be safe. So nobody could take them away. So nobody could hurt them. 

And so nobody could see what he could do. 

Slowly, Yakko opened the music box. He wound it up from the back, and then listened to the notes crank out. He sighed, leaning his head on the dresser top. His parents had chosen the song at random, which made it seem like fate was taunting him. Here you go, kid. An old ice harvester song. 

_ Born of cold and winter air and mountain rain combining _

_ This icy force, both foul and fair, has a frozen heart worth mining _

_ So cut through the heart, cold and clear _

_ Strike for love, and strike for fear… _

Yakko slammed the music box shut. He didn’t need to think about that. He just needed to stop the ice. 

Still, the words filtered into his mind. 

_ There’s beauty and there’s danger here.  _

_ Split the ice apart…  _

Yakko picked up Wakko’s drawing, holding the small frame close to him. He moved back to his bed and laid down, curling up around it and shutting his eyes, trying to block the image of Wakko’s white streak from his mind. And the image of Dot’s golden fur, the reason she’d been taken, bursting from beneath the dye she  _ must  _ have stolen from him without knowing. And the image of his Mom, in a hospital cot, dying just a few days before she was supposed to give birth… and that was all his fault. 

No matter what anyone said… it was  _ all _ his fault. 

_ Beware the frozen heart.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for BACKSTORY tomorrow??


	26. We Know Better, Part One

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - WE KNEW BETTER, PART ONE**

_ Years Before…  _

When Yakko was about three or four, his little brother was born. He’d never had a sibling before, and he didn’t know what to expect. He vaguely remembered being introduced to the baby, told that he wouldn’t be able to play for a while, and that Mom and Dad might be a little buys taking care of the new arrival, but they still loved him very much and would spend time with him when they could. Yakko understood, and he spent some time playing with the nice servants and their children for the first few weeks. 

When everyone was sure that the baby was healthy, it was time to name him, and Yakko was very excited to hear that his brother was named Wakko, because their names seemed to match. Mom and Dad finished up the baby’s room, moving his crib from their room to his, and the first night, Yakko snuck out of his room, carefully moving down the halls and counting his steps until he found the right door. He had to stand on his tiptoes to reach the handle, but he managed to pull the huge door open and walk in. He looked for a while at the small books and toys, some of which were hand-me-downs he’d donated happily. Then he wandered to the corner, where his little brother slept. On the table beside, a small music box was still playing, cranking out its last notes; Mom or Dad must have just left. Yakko walked to the crib’s bars, hoisting himself up and then climbing beside the music box, perching at the edge of the table to look over at his baby brother. 

Little Wakko was very small. Yakko remembered he’d been born a bit early, maybe that was why he was that size. He did have very big ears, though, flopping into his face, and his paws twitched in his sleep. He looked very fluffy, but Yakko couldn’t reach him to find out if he was, and he didn’t want to fall on him, so he just sat on the table and watched, wondering if this was what he looked like just a few years before. Well, of course, he’d look a little different- Wakko’s fur was black, like their parents, while Yakko was “albino,” and his brother’s head was a bit rounder, his tail a little longer. But they must’ve looked somewhat similar. They were related, after all. 

The music box ended, and for a moment, Yakko didn’t notice. But then Wakko softly began to cry, kicking his legs, and he realized that the music was the only thing keeping him asleep. Poor thing must be afraid of the dark, or having a nightmare or something. Yakko looked to the music box, but it took him only a moment to realize he wouldn’t be able to wind it himself. 

Instead, he leaned over the crib, and said, “Hello, baby Wakko!” 

Wakko’s eyes squinted open, though they didn’t seem focused. But he definitely heard him, so that was something. 

“You know, you’re a prince, just like me.” Yakko said. “Betcha think it’s pretty cool, but everyone ‘spects a lot from you. I’m s’posed to be polite and sit still, but I don’t wanna do that. They keep tellin’ me, there’s things that princes should and shouldn’t do.” 

Wakko’s cries were softly pressing on, and so Yakko glanced at the door, to ensure that nobody would walk in on him. This was something Mom told him he very much  _ shouldn’t  _ do, people were a little scared of this sort of thing… but he bet it would cheer up his brother. 

Yakko stretched his hand over the crib, focused, and then snapped. From his fingers, a light snowfall began to rain into the crib. Once the flakes hit Wakko, he stopped crying, at first confused, and then entertained. He let out a light, happy laugh, and Yakko smiled. 

If this magic made his brother happy, surely it couldn’t be as bad as Mom and Dad thought. 

Yakko leaned over the crib, and whispered, “But you and me? We know better.” 

Wakko learned to walk very fast, and Angel said it was because he wanted to follow Yakko around. When he’d outgrown the crib, Mom and Dad moved his bed into Yakko’s room so that Wakko would stop crying at night when he couldn’t see his brother, and so they could play quietly without waking everyone up very early in order to see each other. Wakko was still very quiet, but that was alright with Yakko, because it meant he could talk on and on and Wakko would listen intently, amazement in his eyes at how much his big brother knew about the world. 

But most of all, Wakko liked the magic. 

Mom and Dad still told Yakko that he really shouldn’t do it in public, and Yakko thought it might be something rude, though he wasn’t sure why; he  _ knew _ about the whole “one time our kingdom was cursed and covered in snow” story, but that was  _ so _ long ago, and probably not true, so who cared, really? But for some reason, his parents still looked frightened whenever he froze over his tutor’s tea, or started to grow ice on the roses to make them look prettier. But Wakko never got like that. Yakko would sit in their room and make the snow fall, or create icicles for them to play swords with, or make giant blocks of ice for Wakko to teeth on, and his brother loved it every time. One of the few things he could say was, “Do th’ magic! Yakko, do th’ magic!” And he’d screech with delight whenever Yakko obliged, which was always- he couldn’t say no to those cute little pleading eyes, or that excited wagging tail. 

One night, Yakko and Wakko had become bored sitting at their parents’ feet, listening to the council ramble on about some “Ticktockians passing by” that were “still a bit peeved about” something or other, and “Salazar is still threatening” blah blah. So Yakko took Wakko’s hand and led him back to their room, clambering up the stairs as carefully as possible, and then once they were in their room, Wakko simply said, “Do th’ magic!” and Yakko waved his hands, creating a snowball out of thin air, which he then pelted in his toddler brother’s face. Wakko laughed excitedly, and Yakko made more snow, filling a bit of the floor, giving them space to play in. 

When Angel and William entered, Yakko was sitting atop a mound of snow, while Wakko gnawed on his own tail and watched intently as his brother held pieces of ice over each other. 

“And  _ then _ she cries again, asking the prince to wake up!” Yakko said, stretching far in whichever direction he thought was west. “And this time, someone hears her!” He summoned another block of ice from his hand. “And they tell the prince the next morning, so he doesn’t take the sleeping potion. And so he sees the princess and he’s so happy she came cause he loves her! And then the trolls  _ blow up!”  _

He lifted two ice blocks, and when he tossed them, they disintegrated into snowflakes, which fell upon the giggling Wakko. 

“And then they  _ all get married!”  _

_ “Yaaaaay!”  _ Wakko cheered, falling over onto the floor. He giggled, and then, upside-down, noticed his parents in the doorway, and waved shyly. 

William laughed, while Angel asked what they were doing. 

“We’re playin’ enchanted forest.” 

Their mother smiled a little. “Doesn’t look like any enchanted forest  _ I’ve  _ seen.” 

“Have you  _ seen one?”  _ Yakko asked, eyes wide. 

She smiled sadly. “Long ago.” 

“Was it pretty?” Yakko asked, sliding down the snow mound and sitting intently beside Wakko, his tail bouncing up and down off the floor. “Were there magic people like me?” 

Angel laughed and knelt down, helping Wakko sit up. “It’s a long story. You’re a bit young, so how about we put a pin in it?” 

_ “Please?”  _

She smiled, and then scooted in front of him, and whispered, “How about we wait until your new sibling is born, so they can hear it, too?” 

Yakko beamed, then, and glanced down at his mother’s swollen stomach. He put a hand to it, hoping to feel the baby kick again, and said, “Do you think it’ll be a boy or a girl or something wilder? Cause I’d like a baby sister, if you don’t mind.” 

“We won’t know until they’re born. But we’ve only got a little bit of time, and then you’ll be a big brother all over again.” 

“So will Wakko!” 

“Well, you’ll have to teach him how to do it.” 

Yakko nodded seriously. Angel then slowly stood, stretching a little, and said, “Will-o, sweetheart, I’m going to rest, can you help the children clean this up?” 

“I can clean it up!” Yakko said. He waved his hand, and some of the snow disappeared.

His Mom and Dad looked a bit concerned at that. “Yakko,” his father said, “You really should slow the magic down. We still don’t know how it works.” 

“Ice happens when I’m mad and snow happens when I’m fun.” Yakko shrugged. “Wha’s there to know?” 

“Yakko, you remember what we said about-” 

“The snow demon, Zhanny-something, yada-yada.” Yakko waved his hand. “I’m not making a storm, am I? It’s fine.” 

“It could be dangerous, Yakko.” 

“But it’s so pretty! How can something so pretty be dang’rous?” 

They decided to give up arguing with their child for the night, so William gave his wife a kiss on the cheek, and then helped Yakko pick up the toys. Wakko tried to help, too, walking his building blocks over to the corner of the room where they went, and when they were done, Yakko looked up at his father and asked, “Do you think the baby will have magic like me?” 

“Only Ahtohallan knows, Yakk.” 

“Who’s that? Can I ask em?” 

William laughed quite a bit, though his eyes were sad, and he picked his sons up, holding them close. He sang a little until Wakko fell asleep, and he tucked his youngest son into his tiny bed, and then sat down on Yakko’s, cuddling his older son close until he, too, fell into a light slumber. 

Yakko remembered that night, because it was the last night before everything went wrong. 

He’d woken up to his little brother shaking him, having clambered onto the bed. “Yakk!  _ Yakko!”  _

“Go back to sleep, I’m too tired to do magic.” 

“I’m hungie!” 

Yakko sighed and flipped his hand, summoning ice. “Eat this.” 

“No! Cookie!” 

“Go to sleep.” 

Wakko crawled onto the other side of the bed so he could get face-to-face with his big brother, and he gave him the biggest puppy eyes he could muster. “Cookie?” 

_ “Ugh,  _ fine.” Yakko sat up, stretching. “One day Imma say no to you.” 

Wakko giggled and slid from the bed, landing on his butt and flopping over, rolling on the ground while he waited for Yakko to full wake up and get to the floor. Yakko then took Wakko’s hand, informing him very seriously that they had to hold tight to each other so they didn’t get lost, and he’d take him down to the kitchen. They crept down the halls, shushing each other when they made too much of a creak on the floor, and then giggling and pushing each other before continuing onward. Yakko eventually helped Wakko down the stairs to the kitchen, where he made them an ice ladder towards the counter, so they could sit on top and eat from the cookie bin. Wakko seemed endlessly hungry, so Yakko let him have most of their haul, while he sat by the window and watched the rain drip, drip, drip to the ground. He liked to watch the water fall, though snow was cooler because it piled up on the ground for him and his brother to play with. But the rain  _ did _ make mud, which was pretty nice, too! Yakko put his face to the glass, looking down at the grass. Funny, he could already see footprints in the mud. He’d have to go out with Wakko tomorrow so they could both get dirty. 

When Wakko ran out of cookies, he turned to Yakko, wondering if his brother could get him more. When he realized he was watching the water, he instead crawled across the counter himself, looking for more food. He got to the far end, and then perked up his ear, hearing something- that sounded like Mama! He slid off the counter, using his tail to keep balance, and then toddled towards the sound- oh, it was in the hall, probably just a few rooms over. He could say hi! 

Yakko realized Wakko was missing pretty early, to his credit, but not until his brother had already wandered out of the room. He glanced up, worryingly noticing the lack of a toddler, and then went back down the ice ladder, scampering into the hall. He paused a moment, wondering where his brother could have gone, until he heard the shouting begin. 

He heard Angel’s voice first, and then a small cry from Wakko, and he started running, The noise was coming from just a few rooms away, one of the studies, where their Mother would go to read. Yakko found the door wide open, and he scampered to it, pausing in the doorway and peering in, his ears laid back in fear. 

He didn’t understand what was happening, really, but he saw Mother yelling at some human man, and Mother  _ never  _ yelled. He didn’t recognize the stranger, but he wore fancy clothes like Father, and a crown, so maybe he was a relative? Or the King of someplace else. Yakko scanned the room quickly until he saw Wakko, and let out a whimper. The poor toddler was clinging to his mother’s leg, shaking slightly at the loud noises; he hadn’t been expecting a fight, he’d just wanted to see his mum. 

His mother took a breath, and Yakko finally called out, “Mama?” 

She turned to him, a flash of fear in her eyes. “Yakko! Get Wakko to bed, now.” 

She tried to push Wakko towards his brother, but he kept clinging to her leg. Yakko glanced over at the man, and flinched as he saw the frightening glare he was receiving. 

“Ah,” came a voice dripping with menace, “I see this is your  _ other  _ spawn. Did you call him ‘Yakko’?” 

To Yakko’s surprise, Angel’s eyes flashed with anger, and she bared her fangs, saying, “Take one step closer to him and I’ll bite off your legs.” 

Yakko let out a cry, and Wakko started shaking harder. Angel knelt and slowly picked up her younger son, holding him at her side while she continued to glare at the other man. 

“Now, that’s not very professional, is it, Angelina?” 

_ “You _ will address me as ‘your majesty,’ if you think you deserve to address me at all.” she said. “I don’t care what you promise us, we will never bow to your rule.” 

“You’re not being very reasonable, are you?” 

“I’m not afraid to summon the guards.” 

“And start a war between our Kingdoms? Sounds like a  _ wonderful _ idea, Angelina.” 

“You’d drag us into war either way, don’t think I don’t know what you’ll try to do after we refuse you! We have lived in peace since my parents’ death and we intend to continue as such, but if you think you can overtake our land we will not hesitate to fight. And  _ look at my children again and you won’t have a hand to fight with.”  _

Yakko let out another whimper. He’d never heard Angel this angry,  _ ever.  _ When he made the noise, though, the other King’s attention shot to him, and he took a step towards him. Yakko screeched and moved into the room, stumbling forwards and closer to his mother. 

_ “What did I say, Salazar?”  _ Angel screamed, causing Wakko to start crying. “Take another step towards him and I don’t  _ care _ what happens to me, I will  _ end _ you.” 

“Mama?” Yakko began to cry, looking up at her in a panic, wondering if he should run over to her, or turn around and race back out the door. 

“Angelina, I am giving you ten seconds to see sense before I do what needs to be done.” 

“Get  _ away _ from my son,  _ now!”  _

Wakko cried louder, and Yakko felt a panic flare in his chest. Without anyone but him noticing, ice started to form under his feet. He began to tremble, confused and terrified, and he edged closer to his mother. 

What happened next happened in just a few seconds, but Yakko could never forget it. 

Salazar drew a sword from his side, pointing it ahead, intending to charge and run it through Angel- or one of her children, Yakko guessed they’d never know what his thought was. But Yakko saw the sword, and saw Angel shout and start forwards, and knew something very bad was going to happen. 

He heard Wakko cry, and everything inside of him fell apart. 

_ “Stop it!”  _

When he shouted, there was a blinding flash of white- for a moment, snow filled the room, appearing midair and swirling, spinning, moving in a circle around the young boy. Then, when the flash was over, the snow rushed, zooming into Yakko. He kept hearing Wakko’s cries in his mind as he screamed, and the power burst from him again. But this time, it didn’t form snow. Blasts of ice spread from him, flying in a circular motion. Most of the ice didn’t hit anything; it bounced and broke against walls, skidded onto the floor, ran into the side of a desk or the middle of a bookshelf. 

But the room was too small for everyone else inside to avoid the attack. 

Yakko heard his mother scream first, and his eyes flew open, in time to see the ice fall and shatter against surfaces, and in time to see the end of the flash of light entering his mother’s heart. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, slowly lowering Wakko to the ground, suddenly finding herself unable to hold him up. And it was then that Yakko realized that while the other two had screamed, Wakko had gone completely silent. 

Forgetting the other man in the room- and, for the moment, not processing the ice that had pierced his heart as well- Yakko raced forwards, tears springing to his eyes as he knelt in front of his mother. “Mama! Mama, are you okay? I’m  _ sorry!”  _

Angel breathed roughly, putting a hand on her chest. “I- Yakko, it’s okay, don’t…” 

“Wakko?” Yakko then turned to his little brother. He grabbed the young boy’s shoulders, pulling him up onto his lap. His fur felt ice cold, the only movement he could see from the small child, who’d clearly passed out, were small, shaky breaths. A slight light faded from his head, where he’d been struck. As Yakko watched in horror, a streak of white began, from one of the tufts atop Wakko’s head. He reached down, trying to wipe the color away, but it remained, a horrible reminder that he’d been hurt. 

Yakko let out another cry and turned back to his mother. “Mama, what’s happening?  _ Mama, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”  _

Angel had one hand on her stomach, and was struggling to get up. “Yakko-” 

Yakko heard pounding footsteps outside, rushing for them, and he quickly pulled Wakko closer to him, trying to warm him against his fur, trying to hold him close and protect him from whatever was happening. Thankfully, the one who arrived at the door first was his father. William took a look at the situation, for a second trying to figure out what was happening, and then he raced over to his family, putting one arm around his wife and using the other to reach for his sons. “Yakko, Yakko, come here-” 

Yakko shook his head, and pulled Wakko closer. He heard a cough and a sputter, and turned, eyes wide, to see Salazar struggling to stand. The poor child shook as the King turned a venomous, horrible look to him, and shouted, “What kind of a  _ monster  _ is that?” 

When Yakko realized he was referring to him, he hugged Wakko tight, feeling the cold fur under his fingers, and from his feet, ice began to spread across the floor again.  _ No, no!  _

_ What kind of a monster is that?  _

Yakko heard more footsteps following; the guards must have heard all the shouting. He cried more, his tears freezing as they ran down his cheek, and quickly, William sprang into action. 

He raced to his sons, picking them both up and stomping on the ice beneath them, breaking it into small pieces. It began to melt into the ground, just as the guards reached them. William cradled his sons to him, waiting as the knights acted, racing forwards to grab the intruding royal and to help the shaking Queen to her feet. Then, William turned to the head of the guards, and said, “He was never here.” 

“What?” 

William gestured to Salazar. “Put him in solitary, but the fact he was here doesn’t leave this room. None of us were here. The Queen needs to be taken to the doctors immediately. That’s an  _ order.”  _

With that, William left, running back up to the boys’ room. He slid the panicking Yakko back into his bed, managing to pull Wakko from his grasp, and said, “What happened?” 

“I’m  _ sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”  _

Frost began to form across the bedspread, and William figured that the upset child wouldn’t be able to explain anything- and, more importantly, that he was  _ panicking.  _ William quickly leaned over, kissing Yakko on the forehead, and said, “I’m taking Wakko to the doctors, too, okay? I will be  _ right  _ back for you, but we can’t let anyone see what you can… we love you, okay? We love you so much, and everything’s going to be fine.” 

William gave him another hug, before rushing out with Wakko. The second the door closed, Yakko sobbed louder, and let the ice overtake the room. 

_ What kind of a monster is that?  _


	27. We Know Better, Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternatively titled: William and Angel are trying their best but Yakko has Anxiety™ and NOW he's got Trauma™

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN - WE KNOW BETTER, PART TWO**

He spent a very, very long time alone in his room, talking to nobody but his father, and only rarely. 

He was terrified, taking days to process what had happened. All he could think was that this was his fault, he’d lost control, he should have listened and not done his magic so often, he should’ve hidden it, and then this wouldn’t have happened. Now Wakko was hurt, and Mother was hurt, and their new sibling was hurt before they could even be  _ born. _ And now he was alone, and he  _ should _ be alone, he shouldn’t hurt anyone ever again. And whenever he looked over at Wakko’s empty bed, the ice and snow got worse, colder and wilder, and Yakko knew that he really had no control over what he could do, or what he had done. 

Only four guards had arrived at that room, and they’d been sworn to secrecy, and even then, they hadn’t seen the ice. They only knew that something had happened between the mad Ticktockian King and the royal family, and that whatever had happened, nobody could know that Salazar had been there. 

Nobody could know that the little prince was the reason he was dying. 

William tried to keep Yakko from finding out, but he eventually pieced together that something bad had happened to both of the adults who’d been struck in the heart, with the way his father glanced away when he asked how Mother was, or what exactly had happened. 

If he’d been a bit older, his power a bit greater, it would’ve taken mere hours for the curse to overtake those who had been struck. But with his youth, it was slower, and more painful. Not that  _ that _ would make him feel better. 

It took a week, before William finally said that Wakko seemed to be recovering; he’d started gaining consciousness, and he’d finally gotten warmth back into his body. He had to assume it was because the poor child was struck in the head, and not in the heart. 

“What about the white fur?” Yakko asked, huddled in his bed, trying to make the snow stop. 

His father hesitated. “We think it may be a permanent streak. But it’s okay-” 

“It’s  _ not.” _ Yakko shook his head. “Is Mama still sick?” 

William didn’t respond, and Yakko cried more. 

After a few more days, William told Yakko that they could take Wakko out of the hospital wing. Yakko shook his head, insisting that Wakko not come back into his room. He was still unable to control his magic, there was still ice and snow everywhere. He couldn’t hurt his brother again. William tried to argue, but after a moment, agreed to let Wakko sleep in his parents’ room for just a little while, until Yakko had a handle on things. But Yakko had to come up and pick him up, because his little brother really wanted to see him. 

Yakko didn’t want to go, but finally William convinced him that it had been long enough, he would be fine. So the young prince followed his father into the warmer hall, trying hard to keep all the magic inside of him, to keep his fear under control. He avoided the eyes of everyone who passed, pressing close against his father’s side. 

When they reached the hospital, William shepherded Yakko past several nurses, towards a corner bed where Wakko was sitting up. He smiled at his brother, and Yakko had to try not to cry. “Yakk!” 

“Hi, Wakko.” Yakko said softly. 

Wakko held his arms up, wanting to be lifted and held, and William carefully picked him up. But as he moved, Yakko was able to glance behind him, and see who took up another bed, farther down. 

_ “Mama!”  _

Yakko didn’t think, he just ran as fast as he could over to his mother. He slid to a stop just beside her, and he stared, eyes wide, as she sat up, trying not to look as horrible as she did. But she was shaking a little, her eyes were damp with tears, and worst of all, Yakko could see that her fur was turning white around her chest, spreading farther across her body. 

“Yakko, hi!” she said nervously, trying to stay calm. “Hi, baby, I-” 

Yakko burst into tears. “I’m sorry, Mama!” 

“No, no, don’t panic, baby.” Angel leaned over, putting a cold hand on his cheek. “Don’t freak out-” 

Yakko knew that if he freaked out, the magic would spread, and it would  _ hurt people,  _ and that was the last thing he wanted. But he didn’t know what else to do. 

Angel slowly glanced away, and then back, and then smiled. “Think of it as something funny. Don’t I look kind of funny? We’ll laugh about this soon, yeah? We’ll laugh and then nobody will cry. I almost look like you now. We can have matching fur, okay? Isn’t that nice?” 

“I’m  _ sorry.”  _

“It’s not your fault, it’s not your fault, baby…” 

“Yes it  _ is!”  _

“Yakko!” William carried Wakko over to the bedside. He shared a frightened look with Angel, and then held out a hand for his son to take. “Yakko, let your mother rest, we should be getting back.” 

Yakko trembled, trying not to cry and release the magic. “What’s wrong with her?” 

“She’s sick, but she’ll get better. We’re doing our best- we have to let her rest, okay?” 

Yakko slowly reached back and took his father’s hand. “Mama, I’m sorry. I won’t do it ever again.” 

“Baby…” before Angel could finish her thought, she gasped and flinched back. And as Yakko watched, the white fur began to spread farther across her chest. 

Yakko didn’t see any more, because William quickly started leading him out of the room. And then they were in the hall, heading back to their room, where they couldn’t see their mother dying anymore. 

About halfway through the hall, Wakko, who wasn’t quite sure what was going on, glanced down at his big brother, and asked, “Do th’ magic?” Yakko didn’t respond. “Yakko? Do th’ magic?” 

Yakko bit his lip and shook his head. “No, Wakko.” 

“Magic?” 

“There’s no magic, Wakko. There’s no magic.” 

That night, after Wakko had fallen asleep in his old crib in his parents’ room, William went down to talk to Yakko, who begged to know what was happening,  _ please.  _ William did his best to explain it in a way that wouldn’t freak out his young son, but everything was so terrifying that this was basically an impossible mission. 

He explained that the ice that had hit Angel and Salazar in the hearts was spreading inside, and they were literally freezing. It seemed to be spreading faster on the imprisoned King, but it was definitely affecting both in a horrible way. They’d brought in doctors and historians, trying to figure out what was happening without spilling that the cause of the disease was the young prince, but nobody had anything. Nobody had seen magic like this in the history of their kingdom, and as for other places… William fell silent then, but said that it was still unprecedented. 

William tried not to tell Yakko that there  _ was _ an investigation, too- the Ticktockian party that had been traveling with Salazar had realized he was gone, and were trying to find out if he’d been at the palace, if perhaps the Warnerstock royal family had done something to him. They were doing their best to throw them off the trail, but it was difficult, considering that that was exactly what had happened; not that it wasn’t all in self-defense, they were certain that Salazar was going to attempt an assassination that night if he hadn’t been hit. He laughed a little, saying that honestly Angel and Wakko being sick was working in their favor, it drew suspicion off of them, but Yakko didn’t smile. 

“So… are they gonna die?” he asked. 

William’s silence was all the answer Yakko needed. He whimpered and curled in on himself, and William quickly said, “Don’t worry, Yakko. We have a plan. There’s… do you remember the legend of the sundrop? We’re looking for it. We think it may be able to heal your mother…” 

“What about the baby? Will they be okay?” 

His father struggled to find words, and then just pulled Yakko into a hug. 

Then, quietly, Yakko said, “Can I see the King?” 

William stiffened. “Absolutely not. We’re not letting him near-”

“I wanna say sorry. Please.” 

“It’s… it’s hard, Yakko. We can’t risk anyone knowing he was here. If they know what happened…” 

“Daddy, please,” Yakko begged, looking up at him with teary eyes, “Just for a little bit, I wanna say sorry, maybe I can fix it, I’m the problem after all.” 

“Yakko, you’re not-” 

“You can be there the whole time I just wanna- just a few minutes, please.” 

“No.” 

“But I can try to stop it! If I can fix him, I can fix Mama.  _ I need to fix Mama.”  _

William hesitated. “He’s a very bad man, Yakko, he’ll try to say things to hurt you.” 

“But maybe I can fix it. If I can make him and Mommy better, nobody has to be sad anymore.” 

“I can’t-” 

“I’ll break out and find him if you don’t let me.” Yakko said, even though the thought that he shouldn’t leave his room ever again still kicked at the back of his head. “Please. I have to try. For Mama.” 

Warnerstock didn’t have much use for solitary confinement, so there wasn’t a specialized cell; however, there was a prison kept beneath the regular cells that was rarely used and hidden away, with only a few people even knowing it existed. So it was their makeshift solitary confinement, where nobody could find out they were keeping the monarch of their neighboring country. They couldn’t afford to start a war, and especially not if it was discovered why the King was dying. 

Yakko held his Dad’s hand as the guard led them down, muttering to William some kind of instructions. Finally, they reached the door, and the guard said, “Last chance to turn back, kid.” 

Yakko stood steady. William knelt down, meeting his eyes. “Listen, Yakko. He’ll try to say mean things to you, I don’t want you to listen to them at all. We know this wasn’t your fault, it was an accident, and you’re a very brave,  _ amazing _ child. Do you understand?” Yakko nodded. “If you want to try to heal him, that’s fine, but if you can’t, we don’t blame you. You’re only a little kid.” 

“I can try.” Yakko said. 

“I’ll be right there the whole time, and if you want to go, you tell me. I’ll get you out of there if anything dangerous happens.” 

“I know. Let me try to help.” 

William gave him a soft kiss on the forehead as the door opened. He gestured for the guard to wait in the hall, and he slowly walked in, clutching his son’s hand. Yakko gripped tighter the further they moved through the dark hall, looming cells above him, the lantern in his dad’s hand casting dark shadows through the room. He straightened, trying to keep brave. What was that Mom said?  _ Think of it as something funny.  _ Everything seemed to work out when things were funny. He could do that. 

They reached the farthest cell, and William squeezed Yakko’s hand, letting him know that they’d arrived. Yakko slowly let go of his Dad’s hand and turned to the cell, blinking at the sight in front of him. 

The ice really did work faster on the King. Yakko wondered if he’d been struck worse, or if his heart was already cold, making it worse for him. His hair was a blinding white, much different than the black he’d seen when he’d arrived, and Yakko thought he could see frost tinting his filthy clothes. As his Dad’s light shone into the cell some more, Yakko flinched, seeing that it was indeed a thick frost, with ice even reaching up his cheeks, in a near snowflake pattern. The man looked up with a dark glare at the visitors, a spark of hatred in his eyes. 

Yakko swallowed, then stepped up to the bars and held his hand out, as if for a handshake. “Hi!” he said, forcing a smile. 

Salazar didn’t move. 

“I think we got off on the wrong paw.” Yakko tried, glancing back at his Dad, who was gesturing for him to step away from the cell. “‘m sorry about that. I’d like to try and fix it.” 

For a moment, he thought the king wouldn’t respond. Then, there was a low, choked laugh. Yakko smiled- laughter, yes, this was funny, everything was going to be okay! But then William grabbed his arm, dragging him back a step or two, as Salazar threw himself at the bars, the hate returning to his face. Yakko gasped, throwing his arms around himself in a hug, trying to keep himself together so nothing burst out. 

“You think I would accept  _ help _ from something like you?” he hissed. Yakko could see frost all across his face, glittering in the low lantern light. 

“Don’t you dare.” William pushed Yakko behind him. “We have every right to let you die, we  _ know _ what you were intending to do that night. We confiscated your weapons, your poison- you would’ve  _ killed _ us for our kingdom. Yakko defended his family and now he’s offering you grace. I suggest you take it.” 

Yakko blinked, shaking, and peered over his father’s leg. “Poison?” 

Salazar smirked at him. “A slow-acting mixture. Just one dose, and whoever takes it is dead in a matter of months. Wouldn’t that have been special? One of your precious parents drinks the wrong mead, eats the wrong cake, and then there’s a gap in the ruling class. You know what happens when those in power seem weak? People take that power from them and give it to someone who deserves it.” 

“You  _ deserve _ to rot in hell.” William said. 

Yakko once again crept in front of his Dad, cocking his head to the side and studying the freezing man. “I can try to help. Then maybe you won’t be angry. Here, let me…” 

He held out a hand, trying to dispel the ice, the same way he’d vanished the snow he and Wakko were playing with, what felt like so long ago. But nothing happened, and Yakko began to shake, struggling to control his fear.  _ This is funny. This is funny, it’s okay…  _

Salazar saw the frost under the prince’s feet, and said, “And this is what I meant. Look at it. It can’t do anything, can it?” 

“Shut up.” 

Yakko trembled as Salazar leaned closer to the bars, looking him dead in the eye. “You know what’s going to happen, little beast?” 

“Don’t  _ call him that!”  _

“You struck your mother, too, don’t think I didn’t see.” he sneered. “She’ll die, and everything will fall apart. Someone like me will take your kingdom from you, and kill your wonderful father, too.” 

“No.” Yakko shook his head. 

Frost began to spread farther across Salazar’s face, as he added, “They’ll take your sweet little brother and toss him to the streets. A spoiled runt like him won’t make it a day.” 

“Yakko, we’re leaving.” William grabbed his arm, but Yakko shook his head, staring in rapt horror. 

“And as for  _ you.”  _ Ice began forming around the king’s eyes. “When they see what kind of a monster that the crazy queen and her peasant husband made, they won’t let you live to see another dawn.” 

“I’m  _ not  _ a monster!” Yakko said, his voice going high with fright.  _ “You’re  _ the monster! Why would you say such mean things?”

“Because that’s how the world works, silly creature.” Salazar hissed, as the frost spread farther. “The only ones who make it out unscathed are the ones who can keep everything under their control. But I can’t expect you to understand. Because whatever you think of me, you  _ are  _ the monster here.” 

“This was a horrible idea.” William said, grabbing Yakko’s arm. “We’re going,  _ now. _ Yakko-” 

Yakko screamed, and William turned, his light shining over onto Salazar… or what once was him. 

The ice had completely surrounded him, freezing him in place against the bars of the cell, a wicked sneer still on his face. He’d turned into a frozen statue, his blank eyes still boring into Yakko’s soul. 

William pulled Yakko away, out of sight, holding his shoulders. “Yakko, look at me. It wasn’t your fault, okay? He’s lying, you’re not a monster, you’re our son.” He put a hand on Yakko’s cheek, pushing his fur back and trying to get him to meet his eyes. “Don’t look at him, don’t think about it, we know you’re not-” 

“Is that what’s going to happen to mama?” 

“Yakko, we’re going back up to your room, okay? We need to talk about this somewhere else-” 

_ “Is that what’s going to happen to Mama?”  _

“Yakko, just take a deep breath-” 

_ “Is Mama going to die?”  _ Yakko broke away from his dad, tears springing to his eyes, and he turned, his eyes once again fixed on the frozen statue. 

There had to be a way to fix this. There had to be… 

The words he’d just heard raced in his head. This man wanted to kill his parents. He  _ would’ve.  _ He wanted them all  _ dead.  _

_ A spoiled runt like him won’t make it one day.  _

_ The crazy queen and her peasant husband.  _

_ You are the monster here.  _

“Yakko, please-” 

William once again tried to pick him up. Yakko leapt back, throwing himself back against the cell bars, screeching,  _ “Don’t touch me!”  _

An icicle burst from his hand, pushed through the bars of the cell, and pierced Salazar’s heart one last time. Yakko yelped, backing up in shock, ramming right into his father’s legs in his retreat, clutching his hands to his chest. 

There was a sickening  _ crack,  _ and then Salazar shattered. 

Yakko and William stared in silence for a moment, and then Yakko burst into uncontrollable sobs. William swiftly lifted his son, running back to the exit, and then all the way back up Yakko’s room.

“Yakko, it’s-” 

_ “I killed him!”  _

“Yakko, listen-” 

_ “It’s my fault! And now everyone’s gonna die!”  _

“I never should have brought you down there. This is my fault, don’t blame yourself.” 

“No, it  _ is  _ me! I  _ killed him!”  _

“Yakko…” 

“He was right!  _ I’m the monster!”  _

Yakko heard scattered rumors from the servants the next few days. They said the Queen was getting weaker, that the doctors couldn’t help her. That if they couldn’t find the sundrop soon, she and her unborn child would die. She would die and it would be  _ Yakko’s fault,  _ because he hadn’t kept his stupid curse to himself. 

William didn’t visit the next few days, and for a while, Yakko was afraid that his father had given up on him, now that he knew what he had done. He later found out that important things were happening in the hospital, and William was refusing to leave his wife’s side until they were sure everything was okay with her, but for the moment, his mind was racing with the idea that Dad didn’t love him anymore. And he  _ shouldn’t.  _ He’d killed someone! He could kill everyone! He  _ could still kill everyone, because he couldn’t control the ice.  _

He spent those few days training himself, standing in his room’s center and keeping his head high, trying to stay happy, to keep his fear at bay. He cracked a joke to himself, a quiet pun or a reference to one of the old stories he loved, something to spark joy in the cold room. Sometimes it worked, and he was able to stop the snow around him. Sometimes it didn’t, and the ice kept spreading across the floor until Yakko gave up and crawled into bed, covering his head with a sheet and wishing he could be anywhere but here. 

After a few days, William came back, and he told Yakko that they were going to head up to the hospital to see Mother- it was alright, he promised, but Yakko didn’t believe him. 

Little Wakko was behind their father, and when he saw his big brother finally leave his room, he cheered and ran to him, licking his face in happiness and ignoring Yakko’s flinch, before grabbing his tail in order to follow him up to the hospital rooms. Yakko glanced back at him, noticing the oversized hat on his head. He didn’t ask why his little brother had gotten the hat, because he noticed very quickly how easily it covered that white streak of fur. 

When they reached the room, Yakko hung back before reaching the doorway, staring at the wall across from him. Wakko skidded to a stop, and then leaned against his older brother’s back, not sure why they’d stopped. 

Their father knelt down in front of them. “Hey. Hey, it’s okay.” 

Yakko shook his head, holding his hands together and blinking back tears. 

“It’s alright, really. I’ll be right here, okay?” 

He held out a hand for Yakko. Slowly, he took it, noticing for the first time how small his hand was compared to his father’s. Slowly, he followed his father past the doorway, as Wakko toddled behind them. He peered inside, and then immediately brightened, letting go of his dad and racing ahead. 

_ “Mama!”  _

The sundrop had healed Mom.  _ The sundrop healed her. The sundrop healed her and his little sister, and it was okay.  _

They’d found the flower, formed from the sundrop, and given it to Angel to drink. The sun had melted the ice, and not only had she healed, but so had her unborn child. And then, just a few days later, she gave birth to a beautiful, golden-furred daughter. 

Yakko promised, upon meeting his sister, that he’d be the best big brother. He’d be better than he was before. There’d be no magic, no crying- just love. He’d protect her the way he hadn’t protected his family before. He’d be good, he knew it. 

Things seemed like they were going back to normal. Wakko went back to his bed in Yakko’s room, and Yakko’s joy at everything being okay again meant that no snow or ice formed at all! Well, only a little. When he was scared at night, or alone in his room and alone with his thoughts. But if he just kept himself laughing, kept himself talking, everything would be okay. Everyone was happy again, and for a while, he could pretend that he forgot about what had happened, forgot that, um, he  _ had _ kinda killed someone- but it’s okay, it seemed like they were being left alone by Ticktockia, so everything should be fine. Everything should be fine… 

He remembered when little Angie was presented to the public, from the balcony outside of her room. He’d leaned over the railing, looking at everyone down below, as a celebratory lantern flew into the sky, thinking that he was so happy right now, nothing could make things cold ever again. And he remembered going back into the room, and though he was still a bit hesitant about touching the baby, she’d reached for him, tried to eat his overalls, and he’d smiled. Mother and Father had laughed, and Wakko had giggled and hugged his sister from behind, and everything was okay. 

He’d gone to sleep that night smiling, thinking that maybe things would be alright again. 

And then he woke up, hearing shouting in the hall. 

He sat up, rubbing his eyes, as he heard the shouts, and then there was a burst of panic when he heard the cries of his brother. He raced out of bed, throwing open the door and running out as fast as his legs could carry him. In the hall, he could see guards rushing down the bend, and Wakko against the wall, wailing and tugging his ears. For a moment, Yakko froze, terror gripping him- something bad was happening, something  _ bad was happening…  _

Their parents rushed in, and William picked up his sons and ran them to the cellar. Once there, Wakko ran to the corner and tugged his ears and pulled his hat over his eyes, and Yakko asked what was going on.

“It’s okay, we’ll handle it.” 

“What’s  _ happening?  _ Where’s Mama?” 

“It’s okay, Yakko, I promise-” 

_ “What’s happening?”  _

The ice began to form around him, which made him feel even worse. Yakko whimpered and backed up, shaking uncontrollably. Images flashed into his mind- the ice bursting from him, Wakko unmoving beneath him, his Mother’s fur turning white, the King shattering… 

He should never have let things go back to normal. He never should have tried. He should’ve locked himself up again so that nobody could be hurt and nothing bad could ever happen. Whatever was happening was his fault, he knew it, because he had no control. 

William looked to the ice, and then to his oldest son, panic in his own eyes; he didn’t know what to do, so he knelt down, grabbing his son’s shoulders, and said, “Okay, okay, listen to me, Yakko. It’s going to be okay-” 

“I’m scared!” Yakko cried. “I can’t get scared! I  _ can’t hurt anyone again!” _

“I know, I know. You have to conceal it. Conceal it, don’t feel it. You have to stop the ice.” 

Yakko took a deep breath, shutting his eyes.  _ Conceal it, don’t feel it.  _

_ Conceal, don’t feel.  _

_ Don’t let it show.  _

It was all his fault. 

Angie had been taken away, and they thought it was because of the flower inside of her. The sundrop’s magic was still in her, and everyone could tell because of her thick, golden fur. And someone took her away because they wanted it. 

Yakko once again locked himself in his room, locked Wakko out, locked  _ everyone  _ out. He sat on his floor and screamed to himself that he had to stop feeling. Conceal, don’t feel. Stop the ice.  _ Stop it.  _

She wouldn’t have the sundrop’s magic if Mom hadn’t gotten sick. And Mom got sick because Yakko struck her, because he’d been bad. 

Eventually, people came in and took Wakko’s stuff from his room. He was going to a smaller, safer room, close to their parents, and away from his brother’s magic- not that anyone but Yakko and his parents knew that last reason. In fact, if they had their way, nobody would ever know about the oldest prince’s magic,  _ ever.  _

One day, his parents came by, grief and fear still covering them, and Yakko pretended not to notice. Angel, slowly, had given him black dye. 

“Nobody’ll know. We bought it under the table.”

Yakko forced a small laugh.  _ Make it funny. _ “Wh- why was there a store under the table?”

Angel tried to smile, but it died very quickly. “I mean… it’s secret. Nobody should know we’re the ones getting it, but we’re going to have it delivered to us and put in the closet near your room. You know where it is?” 

Yakko nodded, feeling the bottle in his hand. 

He didn’t need an explanation, but she gave it anyway. “We can’t let anyone take you away. Your fur shows your power, so we’re going to make you look more… normal. Okay?” Yakko nodded. “We’ve already requested repaints of all the royal portraits. We’re telling everyone that it was just baby fur, that you’re growing into…” she shut her eyes, struggling not to cry in front of her son. “Nobody will know. Nobody  _ can _ know. We’re not letting anyone take you away.” 

Her voice broke, there, and she began to cry, and Yakko swallowed, and took the dye, and nodded. 

He remembered the first time he’d had his black fur. It felt stiff, like all the fluff had gone, and he’d stared in his mirror for a long time, trying to focus on the fact he looked like his parents and brother, and not that he didn’t look like himself anymore. 

He looked like he belonged. Like he was normal. And that was all that he needed. 

_ Conceal it, don’t feel it.  _

He could study in his room, alone, and in a few years he’d gotten a handle on the laughter. If he was laughing, he wasn’t feeling sad. If he acted like he didn’t care about anything, then eventually he wouldn’t. Fake it til you make it. Just make everything into a joke, Yakko, don’t think about it too hard. And then the magic doesn’t happen. The curse doesn’t spread. 

_ Conceal, don’t feel.  _

He barely left his room, just in case the ice burst out. He had a few classes, but he spent those joking around, bouncing across the room, not letting himself sit still enough to think. He’d follow his parents for royal meetings, trying not to notice the sadness that never left them, the depression creeping over. And every now and again he’d visit Wakko, but he tried to keep that to a minimum, even though his little brother begged to play with him more and more. He couldn’t risk hurting him again. 

As he got older, it got harder to contain the ice. He’d have a nightmare and open his eyes to see the room had frosted over again. He’d notice the dye fading a day before the newest shipment was arriving, and cry, and his tears would freeze and shatter on the ground. 

“It’s getting stronger.” he said to his parents one night, when they came to visit and saw that icicles dangled from the windowsill. “I can’t cry, I can’t sleep, I… I can’t  _ live  _ without it bursting out!” 

“Yakko-” William reached for him, wanting to comfort him. 

Yakko recoiled from his father’s hand, backing into the wall.  _ “No! Don’t touch me!”  _ He immediately felt bad when his parents both stepped back, gasping, fear and sadness once again overtaking them. “Please… I don’t want to hurt you.” 

When Yakko was fourteen, he had it almost under control. 

Mom and Dad were gone. The night he’d gotten the news was the last night he’d let it go; his room turned to ice, a blizzard swirling around him as he leaned against the door, hearing Wakko cry on the other side of it and ask what they were going to do, if he wanted to come out and talk about it,  _ please come out and talk to me.  _ Yakko couldn’t let himself, instead just feeling the cold. 

The next day, he’d straightened up, and knew he had to push it down even more. 

He re-dyed his fur, and focused on the fact that he was going to be King soon. He had to straighten up, he had to push all his emotions away so that the magic didn’t burst out again. He kept cracking jokes, kept brushing everything off; if nothing matters, you don’t have to feel sad about it, or angry, or scared. 

_ Conceal. Don’t feel.  _

_ Don’t feel.  _

_ Don’t let it show.  _

_ Whatever you do, don’t let it go.  _


	28. Open Windows

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT - OPEN WINDOWS**

Dot and Wakko awoke, for about the sixth night in a row, curled against each other on the carpet and using her extended fur as a blanket. Dot yawned and stretched, hearing a soft knock at the door. 

“Your highnesses? Are you awake?” 

“Uh, sure…” Dot said, while Wakko audibly snored beside her. “Yeah. Been awake forever…” She pushed her wild hair out of her face, and then stood, beginning to roll her sleeping brother out of her fur. There was another knock, and she blearily asked, “Who is it?” 

“It’s still me, ma’am. The palace doors will be open soon, it’s time for you two to get ready.” 

“Sure, sure, yeah.” Dot waved her hand, focusing on untangling Wakko. “Ready for what?” 

“Your brother’s coronation.” 

“Uh-huh.” Dot finally unrolled Wakko, who continued to sleep on the floor as if he hadn’t noticed being spun wildly. She gathered up her hair, yawning, and repeated. “Brother’s coronation, yea- OH!” 

Her eyes flew open as realization suddenly hit her, and she immediately bounced into the air, her fur flying out all across the room. Her screech awoke Rita and Runt, curled on the bed, and Runt leapt to his paws, immediately barking, while Rita hissed and clung around his neck to avoid being tossed into the air by the jump. 

Dot began to run across the room to her closet, and on the way, accidentally tread on Wakko’s tail. He awoke with a startled yelp, leaping to his feet. 

“Sorry! _Sorry!”_ Dot shouted, as she threw the closet doors open, scanning for the dress she’d picked out and embroidered for the occasion. 

“What’s the rush?” Wakko yawned, stroking the fur over his tail. 

“It’s _coronation day!”_

“Cornoration…” Wakko’s eyes widened, and he began to bounce up and down. “Oh! Oh! _It’s coronation day!”_

_“It’s coronation day!”_

_“IT’S CORONATION DAY!”_

“It’s coronation day, we get it.” Rita jumped to the floor, stretching. “It’s so early, the sun’s barely up.” 

_“The sky’s awake, so we’re awake!”_ Wakko shouted, running over and lifting the cat, spinning with her. “So it’s _Coronation Day!”_

Runt barked excitedly, and began racing around the dancing boy. “Whoa! Slow down, slow down!” Rita shouted. When Wakko finally dropped her back on the bed, she said, “Geez, you kids are a handful. I’m going back to sleep til we have to be at the stupid thing, you all have fun.” 

“We will! We will!” Dot said. She finally pulled out her dress, considering. “We’re gonna have to get my hair through this… I’ll pull it up first into the ponytail, or should I do something special for the occasion? Maybe I should have Mindy come help me braid it. _Buttons!_ Where’s Buttons?” 

“He’ll be guarding the castle outside.” Wakko said, before brushing off his sweater. “I’ve got to get to my room- I’m wearing _pants for the party!”_

“Ooh, fancy. Meet you in the ballroom in ten?” 

“Sounds like a plan!” Wakko turned to run out of the room, ran straight into the wall, and then spun back around and raced through the door. Runt, very excited and muttering _“Oh boy, oh boy!”_ chased him, wagging his tail. 

Rita yawned as Dot let out a squeal and ran to the mirror to set up her hair. “I see you’re happy about the party.” 

“It’s not just the party!” Dot said. “After this, Yakko’s in charge, and we won’t be locked away again. No more sneaking around, no more staring out the windows and screaming into pillows.” she pulled the first bead bracelet into her fur, before saying, “It’s going to be _amazing._ I’m finally gonna be free again. No more towers. Ever.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going back to sleep.” 

Dot slid into the ballroom, crashed into a table, and then slid back to the center, throwing up her arms. “The windows are open!” 

“They are!” Wakko shouted, bouncing over to her, flapping his hands with excitement. “Eeverything’s open! They’re gonna open the castle doors soon as Yakko’s ready! It’ll be just like when you came back- this is the _best day ever!”_

The ballroom wasn’t as empty as it normally was- a few long tables lined the walls, banners and flowers hung from the walls, and even as they watched, servants were opening the curtained windows, propping open the doors, hanging ceremonial lanterns from the chandeliers. What Dot focused on, though, was her brother’s outfit.

“Oh Spielberg, you _are_ wearing pants.” she said. 

The pants in question were an eyesore of blue and yellow plaid, with the bottom of his sweater stuffed in. They were a bit too big for him, and he stumbled over, wagging his tail happily. 

“They’re my party pants! They have _pockets!”_

“That’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen. I love it!” 

“Same to you! Did you know we own eight thousand salad plates?” 

Dot blinked. “Was that _eight-thousand_ or _a-thousand,_ I didn’t quite catch that.” 

“Well, whatever it was, we have three less since I got hungry earlier.” 

“Oh my _God,_ go get breakfast!” 

“I was waiting for you! I think we should slide down the railings again and then eat in the garden and stare up at the sun and wait until Yakko opens the gates because it’s our first day of freedom in just about forever! _Let’s have everyone hang with us!”_

“Of course!” Dot clapped her hands. “Let’s get food, and then meet up with Rita and Runt in the garden, I’ll go get my dads- think Yakko will want to eat with us?” 

“It’s his last day of stress! Give him til the afternoon before we bother him.” 

“Good idea! _We should get Buttons and Mindy, too!_ If we have a guard dog with us, they can’t complain, can they?” 

“Let’s do it!” 

“Hold on, hold on, I have an idea.” Dot bounced, and then grabbed Wakko’s hand and dragged him to the far end of the ballroom. She gave a nod and a wink to the ladies there, and then leaned out the open door, staring down at the kingdom beneath them. 

“That’s pretty! It’s so pretty!” Wakko cheered. 

“Check this out, though.” Dot then reached back, pulling her beads out of her hair and stuffing them into her dress pocket. She then swung her hair out the window, locking it onto a tower above them, and grabbed onto Wakko. “We’re gonna go _higher.”_

“Ooh!” 

Dot gripped her brother to her side, and then ran and leapt from the window. For a moment, they were suspended in midair. Then for another moment, they fell. But Dot simply held tight to her fur as Wakko whooped and cheered, and she yanked and swung them up, soaring high against the sky. 

They landed on the roof, skidding across the tiles, and Wakko laughed and clapped. “Can we do that again?” 

“Why not?” 

_“We need to do this forever!”_

“Hold on, if I drop you I am _not_ cleaning your splat off the pavement.” 

“Come on, Dot, you know I’d bounce.” 

“Wanna test that?” 

“Kinda!” 

“Maybe later. For now, just hold on.” She grabbed him again, and they looked over the bustling Kingdom beneath them. They could see people moving quickly, to and fro, excited at the castle’s opening. They could see the decorations already lifted high, everything in their viewpoint already lit with infectious joy. 

“Look!” Wakko said, pointing. “There’s the sun you painted!” 

Dot smirked. “Wanna swing down and get a closer look?” 

_“Yes yes yes!”_

She cheered, and leapt. 

After they got a bit too dizzy swinging from the tower, Dot lowered them through the window and they raced back down to the kitchen, and then the garden. Dot sat on a blanket that Wakko had spread out, with the mice on her shoulders and Runt leaning against her, snoring. Rita was chasing butterflies, while Buttons and Mindy sat with Wakko; the toddler was on Wakko’s lap, giggling and playing with a paper bird he’d folded for her, while Buttons was sitting up, ears perked and alert, taking his guard duties very seriously. 

Dot bounced her leg, glancing back at the door. “They’re opening everything soon?” 

“Everyone’s arriving at noon in the square, then they’ll enter soon as Yakko gives the go-ahead.”

“Think he’s awake?” 

“Definitely. Probably been awake all night.” 

“So why hasn’t he started yet?” 

“Give him some time.” 

“I wanna see everyone again!” 

Wakko opened his mouth to speak, but instead saw something over her shoulder and began to thump his tail against the ground. “Shh!” 

“What?” 

_“Shh!”_

Dot turned, and Pinky let out a loud squeal as several ducklings waddled through the grass, quacking at each other in a very high pitch. Dot _aaw_ ed as well, while Brain rolled his eyes. The ducks wandered over, shaking their feathers, and Mindy looked up, eyes wide. 

“Ducky!” 

Wakko grabbed her arm and pulled her back to keep her from running off, and Buttons sat up a bit straighter, eyes on the toddler, who simply giggled and dropped her paper bird, reaching for the ducks to come. A little duckling came over, and Mindy pet its head, giggling. “Silly birdie.” 

Dot carefully slid the mice off her shoulders, and then wandered to three other ducklings, climbing over each other in the grass. She laid on her stomach, eyes sparkling, and said, “Hello!” The ducks peeped over at her, squeaking and shaking their wings as they turned, and then they waddled over, curious. One bit on her ponytail, decided that it was definitely not food, and instead sniffed around to see if she had anything to eat on her. Dot laughed and held out her palms, and the ducklings hopped on, snuggling down for a rest. 

She turned and edged back to the blanket, showing them the little ducks in her hands. Then she turned to Wakko, who was watching with amazement, jaw dropped and tail going a mile a minute. She giggled, and said, “Hold out your hands, I’ll pass em over.” 

Wakko glanced to Mindy, and once he was satisfied that she would stay put for the time being, he scooched over to his sister and held out his palms. Slowly, Dot moved her hands against his, and the curious ducklings moved over, still cheeping and looking up to inspect these tall animals. Wakko’s eyes lit up as the birds moved around his hands, and he smiled brightly. 

“Where do you think they came from?” Dot asked, tilting her head. 

“Likely a nearby migration.” Brain said, sitting beside Pinky on the blanket. “They probably came through a crack in the wall, or a nearby gate, or one of the open servant doors. Their mother should fly over soon to fetch them.” 

“Aaw, can’t they stay forever?” Wakko asked. 

“They won’t be babies forever.” Dot reminded him. 

“Please?” 

“Your puppy eyes don’t work on fate.” 

“Oh, poo.” Wakko smiled at the ducklings, before putting them back on the blanket. The one Mindy was petting saw her siblings and quacked, bouncing back over. Wakko knelt in front of them and said, “Now, you four be good. You make sure you tell your Mum you love her all the time, okay? And take care of each other.” He slowly pushed the fourth duckling over to her siblings. “No splitting up.” 

The ducks quacked, not understanding a word he was saying. Wakko simply rolled over onto his stomach to watch them waddle off the blanket, smiling all the while.

And then Mindy attempted to follow the ducks and at least three of the party tackled her. They were _not_ risking having to chase her today.

Yakko peered out his window, putting a hand to the glass. He could see the garden down below, his siblings racing each other around the grass with their friends. And beyond the garden, the town, lit up with excitement and buzzing with activity. He knew everyone had arrived- foreign dignitaries, nobles and lords from across the Kingdom, even several of their own citizens, happy to come and witness their new King be crowned. 

If Yakko didn’t screw it up completely. 

He took a breath and shut his curtains, before turning back to his dresser. Once again, he lifted the cardboard mockups of the scepter and sphere. And once again, in a few seconds, they began to freeze. He didn’t know _what_ it was about these that was the problem! Was it that he couldn’t talk his way out of his fear? That this was symbolic of him taking control over a Kingdom full of people who now depended on him not screwing them over? That he was going to accept his responsibility in front of a crowd of people, and if they saw what he could do… what he _had done…_

He put the cardboard down and flopped on his bed, hugging a pillow. Why was this so _hard?_ He’d been fine before. Hell, he’d gone out with Dot and Wakko before her return celebration ended and lockdown went back. It was fine then. 

But it was also warm then, and happy, he was full of nothing but happiness and glee that his little sister had come home. And they were just among the people of the town, who were just as happy as he, didn’t expect him to be anything more than he was; now he was going to have to put on a show for his kingdom _and_ others, and finally accept the responsibility of monarchy. 

He shouldn’t have to do this! He was fifteen. 

_Mother was crowned at fifteen and she did fine._

Mother didn’t have ice magic. 

_...touché._

He shut his eyes, and the image once again flashed in front of him of his mom in the hospital bed, her fur slowly turning white. If they hadn’t found that flower, he would have killed her, just as he killed another kingdom’s ruler- if they hadn’t been able to cover that up, they’d all probably be dead, too, Ticktockia would’ve had to declare war. Maybe the rebels were right to show up and attack him, he was too dangerous. He’d already _killed_ someone just by slipping up, and they expected him to just take the ceremony _calmly?_ Go up there and smile and look at the Ticktockians in the crowd and act like he wasn’t the reason their kingdoms almost started a war? That he didn’t know _exactly_ why the rebels from their land wanted him dead? They knew his family had killed the last King, they just didn’t know how, and they were right to want to take care of the monster that… 

“Conceal.” Yakko muttered, hugging the pillow. “Don’t feel. Put on a show.” 

He stood again, and ran his hand over the icy cardboard. The frost melted, and he once again picked them up, breathing deep. 

_We can do this. It’s okay._

He put the cardboard back, knowing it was now or never, and threw open his window. He called down to the garden, “Hey! Sibs!” 

He could see them look up at him with surprise- they seemed so small from up here. From up here, he couldn’t see Wakko’s white streak of fur, or tell just how much of Dot was covered with gold. Maybe it was safer to see them from here than to stand beside them… 

Yakko pushed that thought aside and called, “I thought this was a _party!_ Come on!” he waved a hand. “Let’s tell those guards to open up, huh?” 

He could hear Dot’s squeal from all the way up in his room, and Wakko’s whoop. 

He turned, once again muttered to himself, “It’s only for today,” and then ran to announce the coronation had begun.


	29. The Gates are Open Wide

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE - THE GATES ARE OPEN WIDE**

The doors were thrown open, and Dot threw herself out onto the walkway, squealing and bouncing. She immediately ran ahead of her group, racing into the crowd, maneuvering between guests, leaping into random arms to give them hello kisses or warm hugs. For the most part, the people she jumped on were from her kingdom, wanting to see the castle in the first time in ten years, and they’d all met her a few months before, so they didn’t mind her antics, and newcomers just watched their reactions and figured it was some strange Warnerstock custom they hadn’t heard of yet. Wakko ran behind her, but he was just as excited, rubbing against people and saying, “Hi! I’m Wakko! I’m wearing  _ pants!”  _

Dot crawled along the walkway’s fence, and then squealed and leapt down, tackling a young boy.  _ “Tinker!”  _

One of the boys who’d helped braid her hair for the celebration jumped with surprise, but then laughed and cheered. “Princess Dot!” 

“Hey, buddy! How ya doin? Haven’t seen you in  _ way _ too long. Baseball go okay? Are Cindy and Colin here, too?” 

Tinker blinked at her, and then laughed and said, “So your hair  _ is  _ back! People were sayin’ that.” 

Dot blushed and grabbed her ponytail. “Ha-ha, yeah. Funny story, there. I’ll let you guys know when I need it braided, alright? That was the  _ coolest _ thing in the world.” 

Tinker winked and laughed, before his older sister, Katie, ran up behind him, greeted Dot, and then told him that their parents were already inside and they should hurry. Dot waved goodbye and then raced through the crowd again, waving to shopowners she recalled, tackle-hugging Cindy and Colin upon seeing them, bouncing off the walls of buildings, and eventually scampering up the fence again, sitting on the stone and letting the sun shine on her. 

Wakko eventually found her, and he scrambled up the fence to get beside her. He began to jump up and down, flapping and shouting, “I’ve never seen so many people in my  _ life!  _ I thought your party was crowded- this is  _ amazing!  _ Are all parties like this? They seem just as happy as when you got back- is that what everything’s like all the time?” 

“How should  _ I  _ know, I lived in a  _ watertower!”  _ Dot laughed. She clambered onto the fence’s top so she could hug her knees, and she asked, “Do you think we’ll really be able to do this all the time?” 

“We were good all week, and I’m pretty sure there’s no magic fur to grow back, so why not?” Wakko looked ecstatic. 

“Where is Yakko, anyway? Shouldn’t he be out here exploring with us?” 

“I’m sure he’ll come! Wanna cartwheel on the fence and see who crashes into the river first?” 

“Oh,  _ absolutely!”  _

After cartwheels and falling into the river, Dot and Wakko dried off by running into the town square and once again leading a dance atop the painted sun. For a while, they just did the dances they’d been taught, but after more and more people joined in, they got excited and started just doing whatever they wanted, so long as it was to the rhythm. The dance ended with Wakko leaping up and hugging whoever was nearest to him, which happened to be a jovial human who laughed and ruffled his hat. 

They ran to the stores, where celebratory goodies were being handed out and put on sale; they got donuts, telling the baker all about how these were way better than the ones they would steal from the castle kitchens, and then they ran to the toy store and accepted slinkies from the owner so they could go with the other town children to the nearest stairs to race them down the steps. Dot dragged Wakko to the bookstore, and Wakko dragged Dot to the pet shop, and then they dragged each other to the docks to look at all the ships that came in from other kingdoms, trying to guess which one was which. They would’ve jumped into the water to swim, then, but they’d only just dried off from the river and if they ruined these coronation outfits, someone would probably kill them. 

By the time they got back to the castle, knowing the coronation would be soon, they might as well have been walking on air. Wakko stopped at the bridge, saying, “Do we  _ have _ to go back inside? Let’s just have the coronation out here and never go in again.” 

“That sounds like a dream.” Dot sighed. 

Unfortunately, the dream would have to wait, so they reluctantly went back inside, stumbling their way through busy halls towards the largest room in the castle, where they’d hold the coronation. 

Once in the right hall, though, Wakko tugged on Dot’s sleeve, and explained that they’d be in a little side-room until the coronation began. So she waved at everyone as they went that way, and ducked into the room, still holding their treats from town in hand and laughing with each other. 

Inside was two dressers, one on either side of the room, and a couple scattered chairs. But more importantly-

_ “Yakko!”  _

Wakko and Dot shoved their goodie bags onto the near desk and ran over to their brother, bouncing with excitement. Yakko paused a moment as he heard them, but then he turned, a huge smile on his face, and he held out his arms to accept their tackle-hug. They piled on top of him, laughing and cheering, and then Dot stood up and twirled. “Well, Yakko? What do you think? I look  _ adorable,  _ don’t I?” 

“Oh, you look great.” Yakko assured her, standing back up. “And Wakko- I see you bust out the party pants.” 

_ “I have pockets!”  _

“Whoa, you get to wear a cape?” Dot asked, before running behind her brother, lifting up the embroidered cape and slipping under it, giggling. “You could hide both of us back here if you wanted.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind if you two start embarrassing me out there.” 

“Yakko,” Wakko shook his head, “You  _ know _ we will.” 

“Okay, but seriously-” 

“Hey, what happens if the crown doesn’t fit?” Dot asked, poking her head out of the other side of the cape. 

“They had it fitted, like your tiara. Which- it should be in the drawer over there, you’re gonna wanna wear that. Wakko, you have-” 

“My hat!” 

“...you know what, sure.” 

Dot scampered to the dresser, opening it and indeed pulling out her tiara. She giggled, putting it on her head, and said, “Lost princess and her lost tiara, back for her big bro’s big day!” 

“And to think,” Wakko crossed his arms, “We found you because your dads stole it to take over the world.” 

“Oh, where are they?” 

“All your buds are gonna be in the audience.” Yakko said. “You remember how we’re supposed to go out? You guys go stand up front, I’ll come out when they begin the ceremony-”

“Yuh-huh.” Dot nodded, before digging into her goodie bag. “We grabbed you some snacks and toys, we figured you wouldn’t go out much today since you’re gonna be doing boring King stuff, so happy birthday-” 

“Oh! That reminds  _ me!”  _ Yakko then ran to the other dresser, opening a top drawer and reaching inside for two small packages. 

“What’s that?” Dot asked, bouncing beside him. 

Wakko jumped on his other side. “Those look pretty!” 

“Now.” Yakko turned, straightening and trying to look dignified, which made them all burst into giggles. Then, he held out the packages for his siblings. “Here ya go.” 

“Wha- we got  _ presents?”  _ Wakko gaped. 

“It’s a Warnerstock coronation custom.” Yakko shrugged. “Now, it’s considered very important, so you’re gonna have to take this seriously-” 

Dot squealed, bouncing, and said, “Wakko, you know what this means?” 

Wakko beamed and looked up at Yakko, teasing, “You  _ love us!”  _

“Okay…” 

“You  _ love us!”  _ Dot sang.  _ “You love us! You really, really, love us!”  _

Yakko sighed. “Okay, nevermind.” 

“No, no, gimme!” Dot leapt on his back, grabbing for her gift. Yakko laughed and held it up higher, while Wakko grabbed onto the other, tugging to try to rip it from his hand. They spun around a bit, and then finally Wakko pulled his out of his brother’s reach, and Yakko laughed and leaned over enough that Dot could grab hers. She squealed again and jumped off, tumbling across the ground while ripping open the paper. Wakko, for his part, was opening his present by biting into the wrapping. 

_ “Oooh!” _ Dot’s eyes widened with joy upon seeing the cover of a book beneath the paper. She finally tore it completely open, and looked down at a journal. She then flipped it, realizing she was holding it upside-down. The front was decorated with the Warnerstock sun, painted onto the cover and then bedazzled with tiny gems. She  _ oo _ ed, running her hand over the jewels over and over, giggling at the bumpy feeling. 

“Oh, wait til you see the best part.” Yakko knelt beside her, waiting a moment til she beamed over at him, and then he said, “Open it.” 

“Open…?” Dot glanced down at the book, and then indeed opened the cover and looked down at the first page. “Yeah, it’s blank.” 

“That’s the page, idiot, look at the back of the cover. To the left.” 

“Oh, yeah.” Dot looked over, and then gasped. 

On the back of the cover, with a small protective sheet over it, was a small recreation of the last full Warner family portrait. It had been replicated by mosaic in the square, but now here it was in her journal; her father to the left, one arm around a young Yakko, who leaned against him and bounced on his paws. At their Dad’s feet was baby Wakko, his hat flopping over his face and his tongue sticking out as he glanced at whoever was painting, probably a bit confused at why they were standing still. And on the right, their mother, her ears tied back like Dot’s, and smiling down at the giggling, golden baby in her arms. 

Dot put a hand over the sketch, blinking back tears. “Wow.” 

“Yeah, I, uh, noticed you didn’t have any portraits of Mom and Dad near your room, and you did a great job recreating one on your wall but I felt like- well, this is the last one we got before you- and I just felt like- but yeah, the rest of the journal is blank, so you can draw  _ or _ write or… I don’t know, rip the sheets out and fold origami. And the back of the journal, there’s space for another portrait if you want- I know we have a new family now and you’re gonna want them in there, too, but…” 

Dot slowly closed the book, then turned and hugged her brother intensely, gripping him tight. Yakko stiffened a moment, before laughing and embracing her as well. “Whoa! Okay, I guess you like it?” 

“I love it.” Dot muttered. She pulled away, hugging the book to her chest, her tail thumping against the ground. “It’s perfect.” 

“You sure?” 

“Course.” Dot reached out and patted his arm. “Best gift  _ ever.”  _

Yakko smiled, and he turned to glance over at Wakko. As he did, Dot narrowed her eyes, her hand still on his arm. His fur felt stiff, as always, but for some reason something was clicking in her mind as she felt it. Why was his fur so stiff, anyway, hers and Wakko’s was fluffy… 

“How about you, Wakkoroti?” Yakko asked, and Dot shoved the thought aside and looked over. 

Wakko was sitting on the rug, head cocked to the side as he peered inside the box. “Is it some kinda blanket?” 

Yakko scooted over beside him, and then turned the box upside-down, letting what was, indeed, a folded blanket drop. There was a bit of a thud that startled them, and Yakko unfolded the blanket, showing that it was pretty thick. “Now, this is a new invention I was working on with Brain and Nurse. If you don’t like it, we can get you a new prototype soon as we work out the kinks.” 

“Work out the what now?” 

_ “Goodnight, everybody!”  _

Wakko giggled, and then ran his hand over the top of the fabric. “It’s soft.” 

“Okay, but check this out.” Yakko took a deep breath, hoping this would work, and then picked up the blanket and draped it over Wakko’s legs. 

Wakko paused a moment, and then immediately flopped onto his back. 

Yakko laughed. “Is that good or bad?” 

“Oh my  _ God.”  _

“What’s up?” Dot ran over, lifting the blanket, and then jumping. “Whoa, it’s heavy!” 

“It’s weighted. We noticed Wakko likes the weight of his hat and sweater and blankets and stuff but he can’t have a million layers on when it’s too warm, so we-” 

“You made a horrible mistake.” Wakko said, staring at the ceiling. “I’m never getting up.” 

“Well, unfortunately,” Yakko smiled, “You’re gonna have to get up, cause the coronation’s gonna start soon, and they’re gonna want you out there.” 

“Leave me here forever.” 

“We’ll put it on the dresser, and you can move it up to your room after the party, okay?” 

“I love you.” 

Once again, Yakko laughed, and Dot could see his shoulders relax a bit. They were taking a few nerves off, thank Spielberg. “Love you, too, Wakko, now please get up for a little bit.” 

Wakko sighed, but scooted out from under the blanket, before picking it up and hugging it to his chest, as Dot did her book, and burying his face into the fabric.

There was a soft knock at the door, and Yakko straightened, flinching again. There was some kind of call from outside, and Yakko responded, “Alright, sending em out!” 

“Is that for us?” Dot asked, still running her hands over the bejeweled cover. 

“Yeah. Put your stuff up there, either we’ll come get it later or someone’ll bring it up to your room.” 

“Okay.” Dot carefully stood and slid her book beside her bag, and then she ran to hug her big brother again. “Hey, you’re gonna do great!” 

Yakko sighed. “Thanks, Angie. I needed that.” 

“And we’ll be right there with you.” Dot patted his hand, and then said, “Come on, Wakko!” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Wakko was folding up his blanket, not wanting it to drag on the floor on the way over. He carried it to the desk, sliding it beside Dot’s journal. 

He glanced behind him, then, as Yakko helped Dot fix her beads. Slowly, he leaned over and opened the cover of the book. He analyzed the miniature portrait inside. He knew the larger version was hanging in his parents’ old room, which he hadn’t gone in for some time for, well, obvious reasons. But now he got a good look at it, and his heart sank a little. Their parents looked so happy for this portrait, with all of their family together. 

He then blinked, and felt his tail droop a little as he glanced at his younger self. He probably would have laughed if he’d been in a better mood, looking at the oversized hat and floppy ears. But it was as if he realized for the first time that in that picture, he was separate. Sitting at his Dad’s feet while William had an arm around Yakko, a few inches from his Mother, who held baby Dot in her arms. He wasn’t being held by anyone, he just sat on the ground and looked in confusion to the front. Wakko stuck his tongue out, mirroring the picture, and then slowly closed the cover, shrugged, and ran to drag Dot back out the door. 


	30. Dangerous to Dream

**CHAPTER THIRTY - DANGEROUS TO DREAM**

The second his siblings were gone, Yakko ran back to his desk, throwing open the drawer, from which he’d stuffed three flowerpots, covered in ice. He’d tried to move them earlier, and in his nerves, frozen them over. 

“Okay, okay.” he muttered, grabbing the edge of the desk. “Dot was right. We can do this. Coronation will start in just a few seconds. You just have to hide it for one  _ eensy teensy tiny  _ ceremony. And then you  _ never have to be near anyone again!  _ You won’t have to worry about showing yourself or hurting anyone or… or  _ killing  _ someone.” 

He shivered as he remembered his mother turning white, and felt the desk begin to freeze over. 

“No, no,  _ no!”  _ he backed up, throwing his hands in the air. “Stop it! Okay. Okay…” 

He heard, from the ballroom beside them, music begin to swell.  _ Crud, crud, crud…  _ he’d be entering in just a few seconds, then. And he was already screwing it up! He was going to freak out and freeze everything over and then everyone would know what he was… 

He took a deep breath, clasping his hands together.  _ We’re gonna be fine,  _ he reminded himself.  _ We’re gonna be fine. Wakko and Dot’ll be there.  _

_ “So you can kill them, too.”  _

_ I won’t let that happen. I won’t hurt them. Not again.  _

There was a soft knock, telling him it was time to enter, and he took another breath. He adjusted his cape, dusted off his pants, and then moved to the door. He waited another second, and then exited into the now empty hall. Another deep breath, slowly, and he opened the double doors to the coronation room. 

He was at the far end of an aisle, and he could immediately see everyone inside turn to look at him. The room was  _ filled, _ with people from everywhere- all the nearby kingdoms, human and toon, nobility and civilians… all here to watch him fail. 

_ Stop thinking like that. This is all hilarious. You, struggling not to show your ice powers to a room full of people- comedy gold. If it’s funny, it’s not scary. Let’s do this.  _

He straightened, forcing a smile onto his face, giving a small wave and bow. He could hear a few giggles, which was good enough for now, so he straightened again and began walking down the makeshift aisle. As he walked, a chorus sang from a podium above them all, while music played somewhere offscreen. He tried to look grown-up, suddenly acutely aware of how small he actually was. God, he was only fifteen, he couldn’t do this… 

_ Just keep walking.  _

He tried not to glance at the crowd as he passed them, but his gaze drifted anyway. He could see Mindy, sitting on someone’s lap and waving while Buttons sat at her feet, and Rita and Runt, curled against the wall. Pinky and the Brain were there, on a chair together, and Hello Nurse, over there… he eventually spotted the Ticktockians, and tried not to look too guilty or angry or, well, show any emotion at all. Thankfully, none of them seemed very judging, so he passed by without incident. 

He finally reached the front of the room, moving up the short steps to the elevated area, where the council stood in a semicircle. Scratchansniff tried to give him an encouraging smile, but Yakko still felt butterflies leap in his stomach. He coughed them out, and then glanced to the right, where his siblings stood. Just on the edge of the stage, Dot bounced on her paws, and Wakko waved cheerily. Neither of them looked nervous at all. 

_ Okay. We can do this.  _

Yakko slowly knelt in front of the council, keeping his eyes on the ground as a crown was placed on his head. He readied himself and then stood, trying to relax his shoulders as Scratchansniff approached with the scepter and sphere on a pillow. He reached for them, trying to remain calm… 

“Yakko,” Scratchansniff whispered, only just loud enough for him to hear. “The gloves.” 

Yakko blinked up at him, confused. 

“You have to remove the gloves.” 

Yakko hissed, suddenly remembering something they’d gone over early on in preparations for the coronation.  _ You’ll remove your gloves, then. It’s symbolic of you accepting responsibility with all your being, by holding the items with your bare skin. Er, well, fur.  _

For a moment, panic overwhelmed him. The gloves saved him a precious few seconds before the fear could take him over and turn the shivers into actual frosty chills. As well as that… the dye would chip on his fingers. What if someone looked closely and saw white fur on his fingertips, or what if the lack of dye made the ice spread even faster, or…? 

_ You have to do this. Just close your eyes and take off the gloves.  _

Yakko slowly, shakily, slid his gloves off, placing them beside the scepter on the pillow. He reached for the items, hesitating just a moment. 

_ It’s okay. You just need to hold them, and then you’ll be okay.  _

Yakko grabbed the scepter and sphere, pressing any signs of white against the metal, and quickly turned to face his kingdom, biting his lip and trying to remain calm. Behind him, the traditional coronation chant began from the chorus above them. It was just a few seconds, just a few seconds… 

He couldn’t help glancing down at the metal in his hands as it grew colder. Frost began at his fingertips.  _ No, no, just hold it, hold it, conceal it, don’t  _ feel it… 

“We present to you: King Yakko of Warnerstock!” 

Yakko whipped around, slamming the scepter and sphere back on the pillow and yanking his gloves back on as fast as he could possibly do so. He turned back around as the applause began, the sound already filling him with relief, and as he saw everyone cheering, not a single one of them having noticed the chips in the dye, or having noticed the ice begin, he allowed himself a genuine, small smile again. 

_ “Yakko!”  _ Dot tackled him from the side, and he laughed as he regained balance and then swung her around the air, pulling her into an embrace. She giggled, and shouted, “You did it!” 

“I- I did it.” Yakko said, barely hearing his own voice over the applause. “I did it!” 

Wakko ran over, too, bouncing and wagging his tail, and Yakko held out an arm to pull him into the hug, too. 

_ Mother! I did it!  _

He couldn’t stop smiling, feeling warmth fall over him again for the first time in forever. 

He really had done it! He’d kept himself under control! 

And now… he’d been crowned, just like Mother had. 

_ I hope I made you proud. For once.  _

The main celebration moved to the ballroom, and Wakko and Dot took a moment to themselves, rushing into the sideroom to grab their stuff and run it back up to Dot’s room. Once there, they cheered and bounced on the bed for a while, and then ran back out, sliding down the railing and heading towards the party. They reached the doors, and Nurse waved for them to slow down. 

“We have to announce you, the dance begins when you and Yakko arrive.” she said, leading them through the hall to another door, closer to the elevated stage. 

“Okie-dokie!” Dot bounced along beside her. 

Wakko, who was walking on his hands, said, “Is Yakko here?” 

“He’ll be here in a little bit.” 

“He did so good!” Dot cheered. 

“Yep.” Nurse smiled over at them. “So now you have the rest of the day off. You two have fun, yeah?” 

_ “Yeah!”  _

They did have to wait for only a minute before someone came to alert Nurse to let them in. She poked Wakko on the shoulder to let him know, while he was entertaining Dot by spinning his eyes around his face. She then held open the door, and they peered in as they saw Yakko enter from the other side of the room, waving at the cheering crowd, looking happier than he had been in a long time. Nurse then gestured, and as they heard, “Prince Wakkoroti and Princess Angelina of Warnerstock!” they raced out, pushing each other a little as they ran to stand on either side of their brother. 

Once the applause died down, Yakko waved a hand, and everyone began the dances up again. Beside his brother, Wakko straightened himself, dusting off his pants and trying to look professional. Dot made no such attempt, waving to everyone she recognized and bouncing up and down. “So!” she shouted. “Castle party!” 

“Castle party.” Yakko nodded. 

Dot considered, tilting her head, and then she said, “It’s warmer than I thought.” 

“Oh?” he relaxed a little. 

“Yeah. I mean, it was warm in the town square, but that was outside. And  _ forever  _ ago! So I could be remembering wrong.” 

“And what’s  _ that _ amazing smell?” Wakko asked, standing on his tiptoes. 

“That would be chocolate, Wakko. We have loads.” 

“Oh! Then I’m headed to the snack table!” 

“Don’t eat the whole thing, Wakko.” 

“Try and stop me!” Wakko waved as he took off. 

Yakko started to follow, but Dot grabbed his arm. “He wasn’t being serious.” 

“Oh.” he sighed, before turning back to her. He paused, and then rubbed his nose against hers, causing her to giggle. “So how’s my favorite sister doing?” 

“I’m your  _ only  _ sister.” 

“That we know of.” Yakko laughed. “Wakko used to have this theory that Mom and Dad had another kid who’s being raised by monkeys…” his face fell. “Turned out to not be true, but… Hey! He also believed our weird sundrop sister would come back, so…” 

Dot giggled and poked his side. “And now you can’t get rid of me!” 

“Ha! You’re right, now I can’t…” Yakko then paused, his ears perking up. 

“Can’t what?” Dot blinked. “Yakko?” 

Yakko hesitated, and then shook his head. “Ah, it’s nothing. I need some  _ sleep.”  _

“We’ll, we’re sleeping over tonight, so we’ll knock you out with a mallet if need be.” 

“Fun.” 

“Imma go dive into the chocolate fountain. Meet you back here in a bit!” 

Yakko waved as she ran off, and Dot felt a lightness in her as she leapt down the steps and over to where Wakko was shoving candy into his mouth. Finally, they were free. 

...if only their happiness could last the rest of the night. 


	31. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry we're a little late, got caught up in the sims lol

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE - FEAR**

Dot and Wakko took a quick break on a balcony, sitting on the floor. As Wakko re-did her ponytail for her, she said, “So, Rita and Runt are raiding the kitchens right now. Pinky made Brain dance for a while but now they should just be chilling somewhere and talking about their plans for tomorrow night.” 

“Why? What are they gonna do tomorrow night?” 

“Guess.” 

Wakko laughed. “Overthrowing us?” 

“It’s their hobby, leave them be.” 

Wakko finished her ponytail, letting it bounce against her back, and then he said, “Wanna go back in and swing on the chandelier?” 

“Maybe in a second.” she stretched her arms. “So, did you make friends?” 

“Not sure.” Wakko cocked his head to the side. “I told a lot of people about how cool my party pants were but they didn’t talk back.” 

“I started talking to those diplomats Scratchy was so concerned about.” Dot said. “And they’re  _ fine. _ All this stressing for nothing. They were all very nice and told me I was adorable.” 

_ “You _ talked to diplomats?” 

“Yeah, I have some trade ideas.” Dot waved a hand. “But that can wait. Also the Ticktockian guy said ‘sorry about that insurrection,’ and I said, ‘I don’t  _ think _ my parents assassinated your last king, so we’re probably fine,’ so that was cool.” 

Wakko slapped his forehead, still laughing. “Iconic of you.” 

“They’re the Kingdom right next door, we should play nice.” 

“Sure.” Wakko looked up at the stars, smiling bright. “We should send out lanterns. Let’s ask Yakko if we can do that.” 

“Ooh, great idea.” Dot bounced. “And then we drag Yakko to our slumber party, and tomorrow morning we go  _ shopping!  _ I need to get you a better outfit.” 

“I like the sweater.” 

“Wakko, you’re gonna overheat.” 

“Nuh-uh.” 

“Yuh-huh.” 

_ “Nuh-uh!”  _

They shoved each other and laughed, before Dot got back to her feet and ran back into the ballroom, Wakko following at her heels and tripping over himself. 

Once they were inside, Dot squeezed inbetween two humans who were having a chat in the corner and began making her way through the crowd. There were quite a lot of people, so she began pushing, muttering  _ “excuse me” _ s- and on occasion,  _ “move it!” _ s to rude people. She could hear Wakko being even more polite behind her as she pressed on, apologizing every now and again and stopping to compliment someone’s hairdo. Dot kept on, only stopping at one point, when she was near the edge of a crowd, to glance to the center of the room, where a dance was just ending. She watched the spinning skirts and skipping feet with interest, wondering how these people remembered the steps so well when she could barely pay attention to the few dances she was supposed to learn, before shaking her head and moving on. 

“Excuse me! Pardon me!” she finally ran into a familiar face- Rita and Runt, by the snack table, definitely  _ not _ shoving cake into a bag. 

“Yo, kitty.” Dot asked. “Have you seen my brother?” 

“He’s a few feet behind you tripping over someone’s coattails.” 

“That’s Wakko. Have you seen my  _ King  _ brother?” 

“Other there somewhere.” Rita pointed her tail to the right. “He had to talk to someone or other. You should interrupt them and start an international incident, it’ll be funny.” 

“Thanks!” Dot waved and ran off, perking her ears up to see if she could catch her brother’s voice. She finally heard his awkward laugh, and excitedly spun on her heels, rushing through everyone. 

She stopped behind Yakko, just as he waved goodbye to some rabbit or another. She bounced a little, before running up behind him and waiting for him to turn. When he instead stared off into the distance, she sighed and got on her tiptoes, poking his shoulder. He jumped and turned, smiling. “Hey! Sib Sister!” 

_ “Yakko!”  _ Dot said. “Wakko and I had a splenderific idea! And- hold on, where’s Wakko?” 

Yakko scanned the crowd. “I think he’s taking a bite out of the snack table. Should we be concerned about that?” 

“How big is it?” 

“He took off a corner. I should go stop him.” 

“If the table’s still standing, you’re fine.” 

“Whatever you say.” Yakko sighed, turning back to Dot. “Now that everything’s over I don’t have to be stressed anymore.” 

“Good! So we were thinking about sending out lanterns.” 

Yakko’s eye twitched. “Oh?” 

“Yeah.” Dot considered, and then tried,  _ “Maybe  _ in town square?” 

_ “Uuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh…  _ it’s getting kinda late…” 

“Do you’ll be able to see the lanterns fly up! It’ll be great.” 

“Um!” Yakko clasped his hands together. “Maybe. We’ll see. Didn’t you get enough of the town this morning?” 

Dot blinked, confused. “Of course not. I’ve been locked up so long-” 

“Well, I mean, there was last week.” 

Dot bristled. “Yakko, we said we were sorry about that.” 

Yakko held up his hands defensively. “Oh! Oh, I know-” 

“And we were responsible all week!” 

“Okay, but-” 

Wakko stumbled over, shoving a slice of cake into his mouth as he did. “Okay! What’s up?” 

Dot took a deep breath, clapping her hands together. “Wakko.  _ Wakko.  _ Dearest darling brother. Can you  _ please  _ tell Yakko our idea?” 

“Oh! Yeah!” Wakko bounced a little. “We wanna send out lanterns!” 

“Uh, yeah, Dot mentioned, but I think it’s kinda late-” 

“So the sky’s already dark. You know how it works, we’ve been doing this forever.” Wakko blinked. 

“Wakko, wouldn’t you like to do it out in the square?” Dot asked. 

_ “Dot.”  _ Yakko hissed. 

“Oh! Yes! That’d be fun!” 

“I don’t think we should go out tonight.” Yakko said quickly. “How about we just all go to bed? And tomorrow everything’ll be okay.” 

Dot bristled, and then said, “Will you take us out tomorrow?” 

Yakko stuttered. “Um-  _ Uuuuuhhh…  _ you see, maybe- it’ll depend on-”

“You always react like that.” Dot said, a slow realization coming over her. She stepped back, away from her brothers, eyes widening, her breath going cold. “You  _ keep saying that.”  _

“Dot, listen-” 

“You were never gonna let us leave.” Dot said, and slowly, her trembling hand moved to her ponytail, gripping it tight. “Even before we messed up.” 

“Dot, hold on.” Yakko held up his hands. 

Wakko, turning from his sister to his brother, asked, his voice shaking a little, “That’s not true, right?” 

Yakko was silent a moment, before clenching his fists, as if trying to focus. “I-” 

“You’re just keeping us trapped. Like everyone else.” Dot blinked away tears. 

Yakko glanced around the room wildly, and then said, “No! No, I just- I just think we need to be careful. We just need to be careful, we can’t run off willy-nilly. People want to hurt us, you saw that!” 

“Oh, I  _ know _ that.” Dot spoke in a low growl, causing Wakko to retreat a few steps, reaching up to tug on his ears. 

Yakko narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like your tone, young lady.” 

“I don’t like your  _ face  _ right now!” 

“Okay, stop fighting!” Wakko said, still tugging his ears. “Stop it! We- we can work this out…” 

“No, no we  _ can’t.”  _ Dot snapped at him, causing Wakko to whimper. “I am not letting anyone trap me anymore.” 

“You’re not  _ trapped.”  _ Yakko shouted, not noticing people begin to turn and stare. “You’re in a  _ giant castle  _ with people who  _ love you _ and are just  _ trying  _ to keep anything from hurting you again, and you respond by  _ breaking out _ and getting yourself in worse trouble!” 

“I  _ can’t stay in one place forever!”  _ Dot’s voice rose as well. “I can’t stay inside! I’m ten and a half, and I haven’t seen  _ any _ of the world!” 

_ “Neither have I!”  _ Yakko screamed back, throwing out his arms. “Do you see me complaining? No! Cause I know there are more important things! Like  _ not letting anyone get hurt!  _ But apparently  _ you _ can’t think about  _ anyone else.  _ Did you ever think about what could happen to Wakko if you died out there? To Brain and Pinky, or Rita? How  _ we’d _ all feel if we lost you so soon?  _ How do you think we’d all react if you’d been kidnapped again?”  _

“I bet you’d be happy you didn’t have to  _ deal with me anymore!”  _

Wakko, the first one to notice that the crowd was watching now, all eyes on the argument, began to cry, dropping to the ground and tugging at his ears so much it hurt. “Stop it!” 

At those words, something flared in Yakko’s eyes. “You don’t  _ know,  _ Dot! You don’t know  _ anything!  _ You don’t know  _ crap about us!  _ You don’t know what it’s been like for  _ Wakko,  _ for  _ me. You don’t even know our parents!”  _

Dot flinched, stiffening even more, her tail flicking with a warning. “Why would you  _ say that?”  _

“How  _ dare _ you imply nobody cares about you? You didn’t see what happened to them after you were taken away! They  _ never _ got better, Angie. I went  _ months  _ without seeing them smile  _ once. _ I never heard Dad laugh again. Half the time they didn’t leave their  _ room!”  _

“Yakko, please, stop it!” Wakko wailed. 

Yakko, instead, tensed more.  _ “They  _ put these rules in place. So that  _ nothing  _ like that happened to  _ any  _ of us  _ ever  _ again. Because they  _ couldn’t do that again.  _ And now they’re dead and you want me to, what? Dance on their graves?” 

“Of  _ course not!”  _ Dot spat. “But do you think they would’ve kept this up even after getting me back?” 

_ “Yes!  _ That’s what I’m  _ saying!”  _ Yakko waved his arms. “And they’d be  _ right,  _ because you’re not  _ ready  _ to go out on your own. None of us are!” 

Dot gaped, and then they heard a rustle from the crowd. Realizing they were being watched by just about everyone, Yakko shrunk, hugging himself and steadying his breath, while Runt pushed his way through everyone, Rita and the mice on his back. Behind them, Nurse and Scratchansniff ran over, with Nurse dipping down and lifting Wakko in her arms, trying to calm him down. 

“Yakko?” Scratchansniff called. “What is going on?” 

Yakko snapped, turning to him, and said, “The party is over. Close the gates.” 

_ “No!”  _ Dot screeched, and she raced forwards, grabbing for Yakko’s arm. He flinched back, but her hands ran over his fur, and she once again felt a familiarity in the stiffness. 

“Everyone  _ out!”  _ Yakko said, hugging himself tighter, eyes shut. 

“Yakko, we  _ can’t live like this!”  _

“You don’t  _ get it.  _ I’m doing this  _ for you.”  _ Yakko hissed, before turning and starting to leave. 

Dot blinked, as Runt raced to her side, and Rita leapt down, rubbing against her legs in some form of comfort. Pinky and the Brain scurried to Runt’s head, and Brain said, “Dot, let him be-” 

Dot shook her head, and then said, with as much venom as she could muster, “You know, Yakko? You’re not the  _ first  _ person to tell me I wasn’t ready for the outside world.” 

At that, Yakko completely froze in place. A dead silence fell over the room, aside from Wakko’s continued sobs, and then, after a moment, Yakko turned back around, a darkness flashing in his eyes. “Don’t you dare.” 

“And you wanna know what happened?” 

“Don’t you  _ dare  _ compare me to  _ her.”  _

“I left anyway, and it was the best thing I’d ever done.” Dot blinked away tears. “And now she’s gone. Wanna know why?” 

“I am trying to keep you  _ alive!”  _

“Funny, that’s what she would tell me, every day. And then she  _ chained me to a wall and stabbed my family!”  _

_ “Shut up!”  _ Yakko repeated, voice breaking. 

“Prove you’re not like her! I don’t even need to be turned loose, just let me do  _ anything!  _ Let  _ Wakko  _ do anything!” Dot gestured to their sobbing brother. “He’s just as trapped as I was! As I  _ am!”  _

“Just shut up!” Yakko cried, before turning around, blinking away tears and racing for the doors out of the room. 

“No!” Dot began running after him, the crowd parting in stunned confusion. “No! You know what? You’re not just shutting us in, you’re shutting  _ yourself  _ in! Shutting yourself  _ away _ from  _ everything  _ and  _ everyone!”  _

“That’s  _ enough!” _

_ “Why  _ are you shutting us out? Why are you shutting  _ the world  _ out?” 

_ “Stop!”  _

“What,” Dot bared her fangs, about to spit fury, “Are  _ you so AFRAID OF?”  _

“I  _ said,”  _ Yakko, almost at the door, whipped around, his voice breaking with anger,  _ “Shut up!”  _

As he turned, he threw out his hand, and icicles burst from the floor, shooting out with sharp points directed at everyone behind him. 

The crowd finally moved, screaming, pushing back, retreating from the sudden burst of ice. Dot, the closest, leapt back just enough to avoid the point, a confused cry emerging from her throat. She stared at the point for a moment, ignoring the shouts from behind her, instead focusing on the ice.

And then she looked up, and met Yakko’s terrified eyes. 

The new King of Warnerstock was standing just by the door, his hand shaking and dropping as he stared at the icicles. His eyes darted up to the crowd, from person to person, face to face, examining the fear, searching for the fury he knew would come. He looked to Wakko, still held by Nurse, eyes wide and still streaming with tears, his white streak falling over his eyes. And then he looked back to Dot.

“Yakko?” she whispered. 

Yakko shook, reached his hand back, and grabbed the doorknob. He threw it open, turning and running out as fast as he could. 


	32. Frozen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how many times can a person write the word "snow" before it stops sounding like a word?

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO - FROZEN**

_ “Yakko!”  _

Dot felt someone grab her arm, trying to drag her back, but she shrugged them off, throwing herself at the icicles. The screaming behind her continued, with people beginning to run ad push, shouting and trying to figure out what was happening while the guards attempted to keep everyone calm. Dot struggled to get past the thick blocks of ice, which had sharp points aiming directly at her and barely any room between them. 

There was a tap on her shoulder, and she turned to see Wakko, his cheeks still stained with tears. He gestured to her hair, and she nodded. He helped her pull out the beads, dropping them to the ground, and she then swung her fur, tossing it up and hooking it around the rafter beams. She grabbed Wakko’s side and then hoisted them up. 

They swung over the ice, skidding to the ground, and then ran off after their oldest brother.

It wasn’t a hard path to follow; the air was cold, and the ground scattered with frost and ice. Dot tried not to slip, jumping over the bits of snow and gripping tight to Wakko as they raced through the hall. Unfortunately, it led right where they suspected- out the front door. 

They ran through the doors, across the walkway, and into the town, pushing through a gasping and rushing crowd of people- no easy feat with Dot’s hair still dragging on the ground. Dot finally got to the front of the group, yanking her hair up behind her, and turned to see the fountain, frozen over. Standing by it was Yakko, slowly backing up, looking about five seconds away from a breakdown. He had his hands clutched to his chest again, his tail flicking and his eyes darting around the crowd that backed away from him. Dot glanced to his tail, seeing what looked like a flash of white, the color of Wakko’s tuft- 

_ Holy Spielberg. The stiff fur… the dye…  _

“Yakko!” Dot called again, as Wakko stumbled up behind her. Yakko’s eyes flew to her, pure terror reflecting in them, and then he turned and began to run again, through a back alley.  _ “Yakko, come back!”  _

Then they were running again, trying their best to catch up with their brother. Dot eventually slipped from Wakko’s grip, pushing herself forward, and she grabbed her hair, trying to throw it forward to trip Yakko up. She missed, and he jumped, stared down at the extended fur, and pushed himself faster. 

_ “Yakko Warner! Stop!”  _ Dot cried. 

Yakko slid to a stop, but not because of her words; he stood now at the edge of the dock, the vast expanse of water ahead of him, churning under the moonless sky. He turned, still shaking, and held out his hands as if they were a shield. Dot slid to a stop just in front of the dock, her feet falling into the frost. 

“Yakko,  _ what _ is going on?” Dot asked. 

“I… I can’t… I…” Yakko stuttered, trying not to look at her, his eyes eventually focusing on the water. 

“Yakko, this has to  _ stop now.  _ Look, whatever this is, we can work it out!” 

“We can’t!  _ I can’t!”  _

“Yakko, please, just stop it…” 

Yakko’s eyes flicked back up to her, still terrified, and then he saw, behind her, Wakko racing after them, waving his arms.  _ “Yakko!”  _

He shook his head, and then turned and stepped back. When his paw hit the water, it froze under him, forming a solid circle, and once he was sure that worked, he turned and leapt. His feet hit the newly-formed ice, and he began to race across the water, heading for the far shore, trying to get as far away as possible. 

“Yakko,  _ no!”  _ Dot ran, but the second she jumped from the dock and hit the ice, her feet slipped out from under her, and she screamed and fell back into the churning, freezing water. 

She was under for only a moment, but it was a dark moment, as she felt the water press around her, as if it wanted to encase her in the ice as well. She couldn’t breathe, and for that second, it was if she was back in the cave, underwater, not sure if her hair would light enough to save their lives, wondering if she was going to die alone and scared just as her false mother warned she would, and if she’d dragged those she loved to the same fate. She trembled and tried to swim up, her arms feeling like lead, and it took everything in her not to scream, not to waste the little breath she had. 

There was a tug on her fur, and her panic stopped for a moment. She felt another pull, and she was lifted higher. She began to kick, helping as best she could, and soon Wakko pulled her from the sea. He couldn’t lift her much farther, so she scrambled onto the ice, breathing deep and shaking her wet fur. 

She glanced down at the ice under her paws, and then jumped; it seemed to spread farther than before. In fact, it  _ had…  _ her eyes drifted to where she’d fallen, just in time to see ice cover up the entrance. It edged farther, nearly transparent, but with frosty designs of a strange, eight-pointed snowflake interwoven above the waves. 

“Dot!” Wakko held out his hand, trying to grab her and pull her up to the dock. Dot could only stare as the ice continued to spread farther and farther, and then she looked up to see Yakko disappearing into the distance. 

_ “Dot!”  _

She tried to move forward, only to slip and fall on her stomach. Her hair was tugged on again, and reluctantly, she scrambled up and onto the dock, letting Wakko lift her to her feet. 

“The water…” 

Dot glanced over it, her face falling. Ice pressed against the ships in the harbor, and spread as far as she could see. There was no end to it. 

“It’s completely frozen.” she whispered. 

Wakko turned, and then said, “Oh no.” 

Dot glanced back, only to see a frost descending over all the buildings, icicles forming from windowsills, waterways freezing and plants shriveling. Dark clouds hung over the sky, snowflakes already beginning to drop from them and onto the Kingdom. 

“Oh, that can’t be good.” she muttered. 

Wakko helped her stand up, and she held out her hands, feeling the frost. She had never been able to play in the snow much, but last holiday, just a few months ago, her and Wakko had managed to sneak out to the garden over the holidays and try to build a snowfort. It had been fun then, but this snow felt…  _ wrong _ somehow. Maybe it was the fact it wasn’t the right time of year for it, or the fact it was definitely coming from a panicking brother who was only getting farther away. 

“We need to get back to the castle.” Wakko muttered. “They’ll know what to do- Dot, come on, gather up your fur, we’re gonna need to- Dot?” 

Dot glanced back over the horizon, towards where Yakko had disappeared. 

She couldn’t even see him anymore. 

She was starting to get cold on the walk back, trying not to make eye contact with the confused populace. Wakko helped her wrap some of her hair over her shoulders. Eventually, Buttons found them; it looked like he’d been trying to sniff them out for some time, and when he finally spotted them, he let out a series of barks before running circles around them, making sure they weren’t hurt, and then gesturing back towards the castle. 

“Okay, okay…” Wakko muttered. 

“We’re alright, Buttons, really.” Dot whispered, stroking the dog’s head as they walked. “Totally fine.” 

They were not totally fine. And, as they found out upon getting back to the castle, neither was anyone else. 

Buttons brought them past several whispering guests and servants in the halls, giving them strange looks that Dot didn’t pick up on but made Wakko grab onto her shoulder and pull her closer. The dog kept pushing, until he reached one of the council meeting rooms. He gestured to the door, looking a bit concerned, and he let out a low whine. Dot knelt down, grabbing his face. “What’s wrong, buddy?” 

Buttons gestured again to the door. From what Dot could pick up on, he really wanted them to go in- whether or not he’d been asked to bring them. 

She nodded, giving him a kiss on the head, and then said, “Okay. Get the whole squad in my room for after we deal with this, I feel like we’re gonna need a talk.” 

Buttons nodded, saluted, and then raced off. 

At that, Dot got back up, pushing open the doors and walking in, Wakko at her heels. She took a second to watch the council, surrounded by other foreign dignitaries, look up in shock from the round discussion table, and then she shouted, “Alright, what’s up, losers?” 

“Princess,” Scratchy stood up, holding up his hands to calm down the rest of the adults, “You shouldn’t be here-” 

“Screw that.” Dot ran to the table, jumping onto the side and sitting on its edge. “What is  _ up?”  _

“Dot-” 

_ “Hey!”  _

Dot turned, jumping, as she saw one of the guards stop Wakko from approaching the table, using a hand to pull him back. Wakko jumped away, a panic in his eyes, and Dot immediately stood up on the table. 

“The  _ heck-?”  _

People began to shout, until Scratchansniff again stood, banging on the table with a fist, and shouted, “Calm down!  _ Everyone stay calm!”  _ When it got quieter, he said, “What  _ are  _ you all, little children?” 

“I protest that!” Dot huffed, crossing her arms. “We prefer the term ‘vertically-impaired pre-adults.’” 

“Dot, please…” Scratchansniff turned, glancing at the suspicious looks from everyone else, and then said, “Firstly, Dot… aside from the, ah, golden fur… you’re not hiding any other powers, are you?” 

“What? No.” Dot shook her head. “The fur doesn’t even  _ do _ anything anymore.” 

“And… Wakko?” 

Wakko glanced up at the guard in front of him, and said, his voice quiet, “N-no. No, I can’t do anything.” 

“And how do we know  _ that?”  _ said some Queen or Duchess or another. 

“Wakko isn’t smart enough to lie.” Dot said. 

“That is correct!” Wakko forced a smile, throwing up a thumbs-up. 

“Then  _ leave him alone.”  _ Dot said, fixing the guard with a glare. She then turned, and said, “Now-” 

“Dot, sweetie.” Nurse approached, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Did you know…?” 

“Know…” Dot shook her head. “No. I… he never…” she swallowed, and then turned to Wakko. He carefully approached, clasping his hands together and trying to look non-threatening, and shook his head, still staring at the ground. 

“Something is definitely wrong with your royal family.” said a rabbit, tipping his chair back on its hind legs. 

“You got that right, carrots.” Dot sighed, seating herself again. 

“You all have seen the snow, right?” said one of the councilwomen- Mindy’s mother, Dot thought. “The Kingdom outside is freezing. The King has cursed this land.” 

“What? No! We’re not  _ cursed.”  _ Dot said. “Yakko wouldn’t do that.” 

“We don’t  _ know _ what he would and wouldn’t do!” another visitor said. “He’s dangerous!” 

“He’s  _ not  _ dangerous!” Dot said. 

“He  _ summoned ice into the throne room.”  _

“It was an accident!” Dot defended. “You saw him, he was scared. Look, it’s-” 

“How he  _ felt  _ doesn’t matter.” Mindy’s Mom said, crossing her arms. “You all know what this means, don’t you?” 

“Madam,” Scratchansniff said, “We can’t assume-” 

“Our King was cursed by a  _ demon, _ Scratchansniff, we have to take action.” 

“What  _ action  _ are you  _ suggesting?”  _

Dot blinked. “I’m sorry, can you go back a step? How did we get to demons?” 

Wakko cocked his head to the side. “Zhan Tiri, duh.” 

“Za-what now?” 

“Oh! Right! Raised in a tower!” Wakko slapped his forehead. “Can’t believe we haven’t- okay, so it’s a  _ long _ story, we’ll have to take at least three chapters-” 

“Long story  _ short,”  _ Scratchansniff interrupted, “Legends say there were once two sorcerers of Warnerstock, Demanitus and Zhan Tiri.” 

“Ooh, I love storytime.” Dot noted, kicking her feet. 

“Zhan Tiri, however, turned their back on the kingdom and became a demon. When Demanitus tried to fight them, they summoned a blizzard to cover all of Warnerstock, one so fierce it destroyed everything in its path. Demanitus turned the blizzard back on them with some ancient device they’d been able to create with both magic and science, but Zhan Tiri swore that they would return and destroy the kingdom- but it’s just a children’s tale.” 

“It’s our History, Scratchansniff.” Mindy’s Mom insisted. “And you  _ just _ saw the King curse us into eternal snow.” 

“We don’t  _ know _ it’s eternal!” Dot said, once again standing. 

“Princess, with all due respect,” Mindy’s Mom said, “You’re too close to this situation, and you know nothing of magic.” 

“I know  _ nothing _ of  _ magic?”  _ Dot gaped, before grabbing her hair and yanking on it. “I have  _ thirty feet of glowing hair!”  _

“Wait, her hair glows?” one of the visiting royals whispered, confused. 

“Yakko’s not a demon!” Dot insisted. “He’s not doing this on purpose, he’s just  _ scared.  _ I’m sure he didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Look… we’ll just go get him, explain things, and then he’ll fix it.” 

“We can’t depend on that.” Mindy’s Mom said. 

“Yes, we can! Yakko loves us, he loves this Kingdom. He’ll fix everything, and explain everything.” 

“Dot…” 

One of the royals stood, and Dot was pleasantly surprised to see it was the Ticktockian King. “I believe we should give the princess’s idea a chance. There must be a way to find his boy?” 

“I’ll find him.” Dot said. 

“Oh, no, no, no.” Scratchansniff said, standing, moving over to Dot, and picking her up off the table and putting her on the floor. “You’re not leaving.” 

“Excuse me?” Dot huffed. “I’m  _ going _ to get my brother!” 

“Princess, you must stay in the castle. We’ll send a search party, don’t vorry-” 

“Don’t  _ worry?”  _ Dot shook her head. “Scratchy, this is  _ my _ fault. I pushed him. I’ll go get him.” 

“It’s too dangerous.” 

“I’ve been through worse.” 

“No. You’re staying here. Guards, please take the children away, we’ll handle it from here.” 

One of the guards reached for Dot’s arm, but she yanked it back, shaking her head. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll just go up to my room and sit and pout, huh?  _ Come on, Wakko!”  _

Wakko, still staring at the floor, nodded, only really half-listening. Dot spun on her heels, grabbed his hand, and dragged him after her, using her other hand to gather up her fur. 

As soon as they were in the hall, and the door slammed shut, Dot hissed, “Don’t worry, Wakko. We’re going to find Yakko first, and we’re gonna make this right.” 

Wakko nodded, quietly following along. And when Dot wasn’t looking, he slowly ran his free hand over his white tuft of fur, and then continued thinking to himself. 


	33. The Plan

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE - THE PLAN**

“It’s  _ so  _ unfair!” Dot shouted. 

Buttons had managed to gather everyone in her room- Rita and Runt, lying on the bed, and Pinky and the Brain, sitting on the windowsill. Mindy clung to his neck, giggling and playing with his fur, not paying attention at all, while Wakko sat on a chair and played with his paws so he didn’t have to look up. 

“Yakko didn’t mean for this to happen! And  _ nobody is listening to me!  _ They won’t listen to me, so we have to fix this ourselves,” she said, pacing back-and-forth. “It was  _ my _ fault, I shouldn’t have pushed him- he wasn’t, like,  _ entirely  _ in the wrong, maybe it was a bit much of us to expect to be let out so soon after we busted out and got magic hair- augh, it doesn’t matter! We gotta go find Yakko and have him fix this, and then everyone will calm down and we can all be together again.” 

“That’s going to be quite the challenge.” Brain said. “Tensions definitely seem to be running high throughout the castle, and we’ve heard unending discussions of ‘Zhan Tiri’ and ‘eternal winter.’” 

_ “Ugh,  _ does  _ everyone  _ know about this Zanit thing but me?” 

_ “Zhan Tiri,  _ Dot.” 

“Does it look like I care how it’s pronounced?” 

“Pronunciation is important.” 

_ “Brain, my stupid brother froze the Kingdom!”  _

“Alright, shut it, you two.” Rita said, jumping to the edge of the bed and licking her paw. “We’re not getting anywhere by yelling about things that don’t matter.” 

Brain shut his eyes. “You’re right, I apologize. Now… we should discuss how best to handle the situation.” 

“We find Yakko, calm him down, fix everything.” 

“In order to calm him, Dot, you’ll have to know exactly what is happening. How long do you believe this has been going on? Perhaps it’s a recent development, which would explain his panic.”

Dot took a deep breath, and then turned to Pinky. “Pinky, when you brought me that black dye- where  _ did _ you get that?” 

“Oh, it was just lying around.” Pinky glanced up, having been distracted by the snow falling outside. 

“Lying around  _ where?”  _

“Oh, sixth closet on the floor with the pretty flower paintings.” 

“How did you know it was there?” 

“I like to keep track of what’s in closets.” Pinky shrugged. “In case Brain needs any spare materials for those fun little world domination plans.” 

Brain blinked at him in silence for a moment, and then said, “I love you.” 

“Aaw, Brain!  _ Narf!”  _

“Pinky.” Dot took a deep breath. “Did it occur to you that that closet is  _ right _ by Yakko’s room?” 

“Nope!” 

“Wait,” Rita blinked, “You think the dye was  _ his?”  _

“I bet his magic shows through his fur, like mine.” Dot said, running her paws through her fur. “Was there a time he disappeared for a little bit? Would’ve ordered the dye?” 

Buttons barked, shaking his head. 

“What do you  _ mean, _ ‘it’s been coming to the palace for years’?” 

_ Bark!  _

“You didn’t think it was important to investigate, really?” 

_ Bark! _

“Okay, yeah, fair, I guess it isn’t that suspicious in comparison to the other wild crap we get up to. Also, you have your paws full with… you know.” 

“Snowy!” Mindy noticed the snowflakes out the window, and began to toddle over towards it. Buttons immediately grabbed her by the overalls and lifted her like a cat carrying its kitten, and Dot vaguely gestured to the toddler who’d just proved her point. 

“Okay, but if he’s been hiding this for  _ years-”  _

Wakko huddled, hugging himself, and mumbled, “That’s why he never talked to me…” 

Dot blinked and turned, her face falling as she saw how upset he looked. “Wakko…” 

“He could’ve told me. I would’ve understood. I could’ve helped. I…” Wakko shut his eyes, and then ran his hand over his tuft again. “Maybe I…” 

Dot walked over, sitting beside him, waiting while he processed his thoughts. Then, carefully, he said, “The servants used to say that we were best friends when we were little. I never believed them. But once his magic developed, he…” He once again ran over the tuft, and then whispered, “He must be so scared right now. We have to find him.” 

“Okay, other important question, if you don’t mind.” Rita said, glancing up at them. “What if your brother  _ can’t  _ stop the snow?” 

“He can!” Dot insisted. 

“Dot,” Wakko muttered, putting a hand over hers, while still staring at the ground, “Maybe we  _ should _ have a backup plan.” 

“We don’t need one! It’s  _ Yakko!  _ Come on, Wakko, you  _ know _ him better than I do-” 

“Not really…” 

“-you know he’ll help. He loves us.” 

Wakko didn’t meet her eye, but nodded. 

Dot gave Wakko a curious glance and then a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “But… maybe we  _ could _ make things a bit easier on him.” She then turned back to Brain and said, “That Teary-zanny legend-” 

“Zhan Tiri.” 

“It said that the other sorcerer dude made a machine to blow back the blizzard. Could you do that?” 

Brain straightened up. “I don’t see why not.” 

Buttons barked, and Dot’s ears drooped. “Right. It needs magic  _ and _ science.” She turned back to Wakko. “So if you have any magic hidden around-” 

“I told you.” Wakko hissed. “I haven’t got anything. I’m completely ordinary.” 

“I’ve got the glow still,” Dot lifted her hair with her hands, “But not the healing. Think that counts?” 

“Dot, assuming that some form of ‘magic’ is real and not simply an advanced science-” 

“Yakko shot ice from his hands.” 

“I’m sure we can find a way to explain that, but regardless: I doubt that it’s as simple as inserting science into one slot and magic into another. It’ll have something specific, necessary for-” 

“Listen!” Dot held up her hands. “There  _ has _ to be a way to make this thing, right?” 

“Well,” said Pinky, standing on his hands, “Why don’t we just find the one they already made? Poit!” 

“Pinky,” Brain sighed, “If such a device existed, it did so thousands of years ago. It wouldn’t still  _ exist,  _ let alone  _ work,  _ unless it was preserved in some way.” 

Wakko blinked, looking up, and then said, “Preserved?” 

“Like fruit?” Dot asked. 

“No.” Brain sighed. “It would have to be placed somewhere outside of the interference of weather, natural disasters, and human or toon meddling. Perhaps even with specific temperatures to keep everything working. Such as inside a cave, or-” 

“Or a tunnel?” Wakko asked. 

Dot blinked and turned. “What’re you thinking, Wakk?” 

“The tunnels out of the castle.” Wakko said. “After I found them, I took one weekend when nobody was paying attention and explored a little. There’s one I never traveled, that went down farther, I didn’t want to get stuck and be unable to climb out, because then they’d ring the- but I remember it smelled like metal. I thought it was weird cause it was pointed away from the dungeons. And there were strange symbols over the entrance.” 

“Young man,” Brain said. “Are you  _ implying  _ that you believe this legendary scientific marvel has been kept underneath your castle for centuries?” 

“No.” Wakko shook his head, before turning to Dot. “Hold up, what’s ‘implying’ mean?” 

Dot shrugged. 

“Then maybe yes? I dunno.” 

“It’s worth a shot.” Dot said. 

“We wouldn’t be able to get into the tunnels, though.” Wakko said. “They’ll have a guard there until they finish sealing it up, we won’t be able to sneak by. They’ll take one look at us, realize what we’re trying to do, and make us go back upstairs.” 

Buttons barked, wagging his tail, as Mindy giggled. 

“Even if you said you were the next shift, Buttons,” Wakko said, “Dot and I would get caught heading down there immediately.”

“They wouldn’t catch  _ us!” _ Pinky laughed, throwing an arm over Brain and pulling him against his side, to Brain’s dismay. “We’re too tiny!” 

“I bet Runt and I could follow Mr Guard Dog, too.” Rita suggested. “The staff doesn’t look twice at us. Isn’t that right, Runt?” 

She turned, only to see that Runt had fallen asleep. She sighed and hit his side, and he jumped to his paws, barking, “Almost got the squirrel?  _ Where’s the squirrel?”  _

“We’ll have to gather our inventing materials.” Brain considered, already deep in the plotting stages, and he began to make some kind of map out of shapes he traced on the window frost. “They should be able to fit in a wagon, if we can get one of the dogs to pull.” 

“Oh boy! Oh boy! I love pulling things!” Runt bounced. 

Brain gave him a side-eye. “Alright, but Rita will have to be in charge of keeping him under control.” 

“I’m on it.” Rita said, putting her paw on Runt’s ear to make him stop his jumping. 

“We should add rope, in case, as Wakko mentioned, it’s impossible to climb up. Pinky, do you know where they keep the rope?” 

“Of course, Brain, it’s the closet across from the pretty sun painting!” 

“You’re going to have to be more specific, this castle has an inordinate number of sun paintings.” 

“You know, the pretty one!” 

Brain thought carefully. “The one designed in the style of the great Lorenzo Ghiberti?” 

Pinky shook his head. “The one where the sun has little sunglasses!” 

“Ah. That one. The one that makes no logical sense.” 

“Zort!”

Dot began to think. “If we send you all as a party to the Dominic Device-” 

_ “Demanitus device,  _ Dot.” 

_ “I can’t remember names!  _ But if we send you all to the…  _ device,  _ I bet it would still have its magic left, so all you have to do is get it working, while Wakko and I head after Yakko. Think you could fix the machine?” 

_ “Yes!”  _ said Brain. 

“Okay,” Wakko said, “But the problem is Dot and  _ I _ wouldn’t be able to get down there. Even if we’re going to split, and we go after Yakko, we won’t be able to take the tunnels out, and I guarantee the guards’ll be at the doors now.” 

Dot smirked, and then began to twirl her hair. “Who said anything about  _ doors?”  _

Wakko stared at her hair, and then up at her. “Oh. That’d work.” 

Dot smiled and ran to the window, picking up the mice. “We can head out through the balcony, but you should get a head start. If we’re lucky, nobody’ll notice either of us, but if we get caught, it’s lockdown, so you all better hurry.” 

“We should lock Mindy in a closet somewhere so she doesn’t wander off.” Rita suggested. 

Buttons considered a moment, then shook his head. Mindy laughed. “Buttons funny!” 

“The Ka-Booms are still here, just throw her in with them.” Dot said. “Right. Once you’ve got the device working, and we’ve got Yakko, we’ll meet back here. Then we have no snowstorm and no missing brother and everything can be okay again.” 

She knelt down to put the mice on the floor, but they paused a moment, and Brain said, “Dot, I must admit that I am a bit concerned.” 

“Aw, I know you can do it!” 

“Oh, I’m not doubt my own capabilities.” Brain assured her. 

“Because Brain’s a smartie!” Pinky said. 

“Yes, sure. But I am concerned about  _ you.  _ You don’t know much about the world, and neither does your brother. Are you sure you don’t want someone else to go with you?” 

“We’ll be fine.” Dot shrugged. “We’ll just follow the trail of snow and ice.” 

“Are you absolutely certain? We wouldn’t want you getting hurt.” 

Dot smiled, placing the mice on the floor, and then said, “Yakko’s our brother. He would never hurt us. Isn’t that right?” 

Wakko nodded, but still remained quiet. 


	34. Let it Go

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR - LET IT GO**

_ Well, you’ve really done it now, Yakko.  _

By the time he finally stopped running, he could barely see the Kingdom anymore. Yakko had run to the first place he could think- the mountains, already cold and coated in snow. Indeed, the swirling flakes around him covered much of his view, but if he squinted, he could still see the tall towers of the castle, and the lights of the villages below. He glanced back quite a lot as he stumbled up the mountain, hugging himself; really, he wasn’t cold. He  _ knew _ the difference between hot and cold, but to be honest, he’d never had a preference, or felt undue stress or experienced health issues from the chills of winter. But still, he clutched himself, trying to keep himself calm. 

The moon and stars were already sinking; the sun would rise soon, Yakko must have been running for hours. His mind was buzzing too much to think about how much time he’d been gone. Still, he blinked up at the sky, and then down at the snow that glowed white beneath his paws. This snow hadn’t been made by magic, and he wondered if there was a difference, or if his creations were indistinguishable from the normal. 

He turned back again, looking past the Kingdom. Beyond it, the sloping hills, leading to the foggy forest filled with magic. He thought he could see the place where Mother’s flower was found, because of the little black dots; Wakko said something about black rocks, right? 

_ Wakko.  _

Wakko and Dot were back there. They must hate him. They knew what he was now, that he was cursed, full of dangerous, deadly magic that he couldn’t control, even after a decade of trying. It wouldn’t take long for them to realize that he was the reason Mother had almost died, the reason everything bad had ever happened to them. They’d be better off without him. 

Everyone would. 

Yakko stepped back, and he glanced down at his arms as he tightened the hold on himself. The black dye stood out sharply against the falling snowflakes, out of place. Now that he glanced up to the sky, and then back to his hands, he realized that it was almost a reverse; above, a black sky with white stars, sparkling above him without a care in the world, and then below, the pure white snow and black child, who couldn’t keep fear out of his mind when he needed to the most. 

The snow swirled around him, and he shut his eyes, trying to keep moving. He wasn’t even sure where he was going, only that he had to keep moving. Get away from everyone. Alone. Again. 

He hated being alone. He  _ couldn’t  _ be alone. He’d tried, he’d tried so hard to lock himself in his room. But then Mom and Dad would visit, or make him go to classes, or Wakko would beg at the door one too many times. And after their orphaning, he’d left too much, going out with Wakko… he’d gone  _ outside  _ the  _ castle  _ when Dot came home, how could he be so stupid? Maybe he should’ve isolated himself more. If he hadn’t been so weak, needed attention and affection so much, he’d be better at this. He wouldn’t have broken down and shown everyone what he was. Or maybe, maybe he should have run before. Left everyone behind, so that they could press on without something like him. 

He trembled, his mind yelling at him to make it right. Make it funny. Just keep talking, talk your way out of it, talk your way out of your problems, talk your way out of trouble, talk your way out of  _ feeling.  _ He’d been so happy, just a little bit ago, but now it seemed a lifetime away. Now all he felt was the guilt and the fear. 

He should’ve concealed it better. He shouldn’t have felt at all. He shouldn’t have let them know… 

Yakko stumbled, and glanced down at the rock he’d almost tripped over. He knelt down, picking it up and cradling it in his hands for a moment. 

He looked back once again at the flickering lights of the kingdom. It was so far away. 

_ He  _ was so far away. 

Nobody could see him here. 

He glanced back down at the rock, and with a slow, careful breath, he ran his hands over the rock, causing frost to form. But as he spun his finger, it formed a design, a soft sun, the one he’d seen all his life. Then he swished his hand, turning it from the Warnerstock sun to a snowflake-like shape. He smiled a little, and then waved his hand again, and the frost flew into the air, in front of him, as if waiting for a command. He stood, letting the frost rise with him, and then blow off into the snowfall. 

Yakko let himself crack a smile, watching his magic vanish into the mountain climate, and then he turned, holding out his hand, and letting a large snowflake form from it, flying into the air. To his surprise, as it burst forth, he felt a light feeling in his arm, giving him a rush of some kind of excitement. He turned and threw out his hands, and more snow burst out, swirling against the wind. 

His magic wasn’t strange here. He was alone, and surrounded by his element. Nobody could get hurt… and neither could he. 

He glanced down at himself again. He still wore the large coronation cape, pulling him down as snow gathered on its edge, while his pants were almost covered in white. 

Yakko brushed the flakes off his pants, smirked, and then unclasped the cape, before turning and watching it fly off into the wind. 

The second it was gone, disappearing over the horizon, he let out a holler, a whoop, and a cry of joy, and then he turned and began to run. 

He didn’t look back after that. 

Yakko kept running, letting his feet fly across the snow, his paws sinking and then tossing clumps of white up into the sky as he raced. It felt  _ amazing,  _ he loved the squish between his toes, the soft pressing against the pads of his paw… why hadn’t he done this in so long? 

It was like he was a little kid again, making an enchanted forest for Wakko in their room. Except there wasn’t a room anymore, there was just the wide, open mountainside, and everything he could do. 

He stumbled, skidding to a stop beside a large crevice, leaving a chasm between where he stood and the much higher, even colder tip of the mountain. He stepped back, smiling. He’d been able to make shapes before, making figures to play with, flakes to entertain a baby… stairs to get higher. 

_ Well, Yakko? What are you waiting for?  _

_ Do th’ magic.  _

Yakko threw out his hands, and to his amazement, the ice formed to his will. It burst from his hands, spiraling up the cliffside, railings swirling around both sides and the steps covered in fresh snow. He ran forward, putting a paw on the stair, only for the snow to burst away, and beneath, he could see the flickering ice, large flake designs inside. If he looked closely, they were moving, slowly brushing against the edge of the stair. He turned, seeing that the edge of the railing had curled up as well, like a tail. He wagged his own tail, and then tore up the stairs, throwing out his hands and cheering as snow flew off into the abyss below, leaving only a beautiful, sculpted stairwell behind. It spiraled over and over, twisting here and there, just the way a toon like Yakko liked it, and then he reached the top, stepping onto the ledge, where the mountaintop was only just above him. He could touch it if he wanted. Right now, he could touch the  _ sky.  _

He ran farther onto the ledge, spinning in a circle, throwing out his hands and flapping them in excitement. Then he  _ stomped,  _ and from his feet burst that snowflake’s shape, the one that kept appearing. It pushed the snow aside, locking itself against the stone below, and then spun, forming a large, octagonal floor. Yakko let himself slide on the ice a little, smiling as the snow pelted against him. Still, he probably wouldn’t like that forever… 

He raised his hands, and up came walls. The floor rose, too, pillars forming beneath and beside him, the icy walls behind and around them. He could feel more beneath him, a second floor below, and with a burst, he created another stairwell. Sliding down the railing, he turned, spinning and waving his hands, his tail, his ears- it felt like  _ every  _ part of him was with the ice now. Patterns formed on the walls, on the floor, and for the first time in forever, he did whatever he wanted. He made icicles, ice sculptures, leaving frost on the railings and snow against the stairs. 

When he returned to the second floor, he was almost flying. He spun again, eyes on the floor and on the large snowflake shape underneath him. As he moved his hand, it turned from a crystalline blue to a shimmery purple. He threw out his hands, letting the frost form designs onto the pillars, letting them sculpt themselves, forming snowflakes and diamonds and rays of light. He left open doorways everywhere- no doors at all, just paths to somewhere new. A balcony here, the stairwell there, an open window to stare from  _ everywhere.  _

Yakko shimmied up a pole, before reaching up, letting ice fly from his fingers and up towards the opening at the top of the walls, forming his ceiling. He had it pointed, just like the castle tower, made of large triangles directed to the center and forming together into a shining pattern. As he slid from the pillar, he watched as a brilliant, crystal chandelier formed from the ceiling’s point, reflecting brilliantly against the rest of the room. 

It was beautiful. Everything around him! Ice, snow, frost… it was gorgeous. He’d never noticed before. 

He spun again, and then felt something fall over his eyes. He blinked, reaching up, and feeling the sharp metal of the crown. He’d completely forgotten he was wearing that. 

Yakko pulled it off, staring down at it, looking at his reflection. For a moment, his heart sunk; the kingdom he loved, his family, it was all behind him… 

Then he noticed, in his reflection, the smoky black fur, clashing with everything around him. 

_ It’s all behind me.  _

He threw the crown, letting it clatter against a corner, and then, with a loud, triumphant cry, he leapt into the air, and let his magic burst from him once more. 

The dye flew off, disappearing into the air or sinking into the floor, and it felt like a weight had lifted from him, as if he had dropped chains instead of color. He skidded around the floor again, sliding around and around, and he felt a brilliant light feeling surrounding him. He looked down, and swung his hands, and his clothing began to change, turning a bright, shining blue. The gold of his belt turned silver, and he gave himself long, draping sleeves, the colors of the palace around him, large enough that when he flapped his hands, he felt the cold, wonderful magic against his skin, up and down, up and down. His fur stood on end, his tail was wagging a mile a minute, and he felt like he could never stop moving. 

He felt light behind him again, and turned, smiling, at the breaking dawn outside. He raced to the balcony, throwing out his arms to welcome to the day, and let the falling snow envelop him once more. It was going much slower now, so he could see what lay before him. The mountains were beautiful, too! So was the sky! Everything was  _ perfect!  _

Except him. He couldn’t be perfect. But here, that was okay. 

He held out his paws, watching the light reflect against the pure white fur. He laughed to himself, still spinning, but slower, letting the sunrise envelop him. 

_ I’m free. _

After a moment, he turned, to go back inside, to see what else he could do, what he could create here all on his own. 

Just as he took a step, though, he heard something in the distance. 

He paused, confused, perking up an ear. Maybe it was the wind, wandering through the new crevices of his creations. 

No, there it was again. 

He ran back to the edge of the balcony, leaning over, trying to see movement on any part of the mountain. Was someone here? No, they couldn’t be… no. There wasn’t a single thing moving beneath him, or anywhere in his line of sight. 

But that noise… it sounded almost like singing. 

It came one last time, clearly coming from the distance. 

_ Ah-ah, ah-ah…  _

Perhaps it was some herding call, from far away, carried over by the breeze. 

It was beautiful, too. 

Yakko smiled, and then called back,  _ “Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah!”  _

Then, with a bounce and a giggle, he raced back into his ice palace. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is either gonna be my best or worst chapter it took me like four days to write out "let it go" without using dialogue istg...


	35. Up the Mountain

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE - UP THE MOUNTAIN**

Wakko stood at the edge of the balcony, waiting until a patrol passed by for a decent length of time, and then Dot tied one end of her hair to the railing, grabbed her brother, and swung them both to the ground. He gathered half her fur in his arms, and she took the other half, and they ran as fast as they could back towards where they saw their brother disappear. 

Several people were on the dock, investigating the ice, so the siblings dropped into an alley. While Wakko pulled his sister’s hair into the layered ponytail, she said, “He looked to be heading toward the mountains.” 

“That would make sense. It’s cold up there.” 

“Do you think we can get across the water without being spotted? 

“Definitely not. It’s way too open, and no offense, but you’re unmistakable, even from a distance.” 

“Well, what do you suggest?” 

“Hey, this was your idea.” 

Dot hesitated, hearing how tense his voice was, and said, “Are you okay?” 

“I’m  _ fine.  _ But we have to get to the mountains. That’s… this way.” Wakko pointed, directing Dot’s eyes. “We could go the long way round, but it would add an extra couple hours.” 

“Yakko’s already so far ahead.” 

“And if we get caught, we go back to square one.” 

Dot took a deep breath. “Alright, long way it is. We’re gonna have to move quickly, though. Is there a way we can go faster?” 

“Not unless we wanna break into the palace, steal a horse, and break out again.” 

Dot considered. “Not impossible.” 

“Might be fun,” Wakko ceded, “But  _ would  _ be more suspicious.” 

Dot sighed. “We should probably get going before they realize we’re gone, then.” 

“Probably, yeah.” 

“Then let’s shut up and get moving.” Dot stood, brushing her hands on her skirt. “I vote we give each other piggyback rides on the way over.” 

“Sounds good to me.” 

So, quietly, they grabbed each other’s hands, and took off running. 

They wanted to avoid being spotted, which was both easy and difficult in the snow; while Wakko’s dark fur stood out against the white, whenever the snowfall was particularly heavy, everybody would focus on shielding their own eyes and not bother looking carefully at whoever was around them. Dot’s fur blended slightly better, so she’d usually keep Wakko on one side of her, switching whenever they had to cross a road. She hugged her cloak closer to her as they pressed on, but Wakko noticed, as they went through, that she still looked around with wonder at the village, studying every slanting roof and window garden, bouncing over uneven pathways and leaping atop stone fences in order to walk on top, arms spread out. Even with everything going on, she still had that excitement and wonder about the outside world. 

It really was amazing how she could just… forget things for a little while. 

Wakko clasped his hands together, staring over the tops of the buildings and trying to look to the mountains they were headed towards. Yakko was there. And Dot was right, he could be getting farther away. 

Because he’d rather leave them than sit down and tell them what was going on. 

Wakko was nearly twelve. So that was twelve years of living in that castle alone. He’d spent hours,  _ days, _ sitting outside of Yakko’s door and begging him to play because none of the servants had kids his age and all the adults were busy and Mom and Dad were being sad again and he had  _ nothing  _ to do. And Yakko just stayed inside. And he never just… opened the door and told him why. How hard would it be to do that, instead of letting Wakko believe that his entire family just had better things to do? 

He could’ve helped! He was sure he could. Sure, he wasn’t magic, but he could’ve figured out how to help Yakko through it… 

Yeah, he wasn’t magic, was he? 

He glanced over at Dot, leaping off of a fence and into a pile of snow, laughing even though the snow was the  _ problem  _ right now, just enjoying the cold feeling against her fur. Her and Yakko, they had their special fur while Wakko just looked as ordinary as could be. Her ponytail bounced behind her; she was gold, with the power of the sun. And Yakko… if Dot was right, and the dye was his, he was probably white, just like the streak in Wakko’s hair. 

He ran a hand over the streak again. Maybe he  _ did _ have magic, just a little bit. Or maybe the streak was from something  _ bad.  _ He remembered Yakko’s panic when they were approaching after the ice dropped… maybe he’d done something. 

_ Yakko wouldn’t do that.  _

Maybe it had been when he was little, when he couldn’t control himself. That would explain him locking himself away so often. 

_ But he still could’ve told me.  _

Heck!  _ Mom and Dad  _ could’ve told him! They  _ must _ have known- if Yakko had been dying his fur as long as his brother could remember him, it must have started early on, so they must’ve been getting it for him. So they  _ knew,  _ and they didn’t even tell Wakko why his brother was too “busy” for him. 

_ Or why they spent more time helping him study than talking to you…  _

Stop it!  _ Stop it right now! _

His parents were gone, and he had to stop thinking about them in mean ways. They meant well! He  _ knew _ that. He knew they loved him. So he shouldn’t be thinking about their mistakes… 

_ Think about being in the garden with Mother. About reading with Father. About when they’d hug you and spin you and tell you that they loved you.  _

_ Don’t think about anything else.  _

Wakko pulled his hat lower, and then pulled his hands back into his sleeves to try and feel warmer. It wasn’t working very well. 

The sky had been dark when they started out, but the sun had begun to rise by the time they reached the edge of the village. Wakko was yawning quite a bit, so Dot suggested they break into the nearby barn and fall asleep in the hay. He managed to pick the lock, and they scrambled up to the hayloft before glancing down at the rest of the area. There was only one horse, who whinnied at them in a friendly way, while the rest of the stable was empty and a little dirty. Dot undid her ponytail and wrapped her hair around the two of them as a blanket, and they eventually passed out curled together. 

Dot was a bit of a light sleeper, so she awoke quickly, and she once again yawned and unrolled her brother from her hair, which was a bit more difficult in the loft. Once he was out, she pulled her ponytail back, stretched, and then kicked him off the hayloft to wake him up. He did awake as soon as he landed on the floor, and he bounced back to his feet, asking if it was time to get going. 

“No, idiot, I just woke you up cause I felt like it.” Dot rolled her eyes. “You think they’ll have noticed we’re missing by now?” 

“They’ll  _ definitely  _ have noticed we’re missing by now. So let’s get moving; from what I remember of the kingdom’s maps, we’ve got a mile or two of forest before we reach the mountains.” 

Dot leapt down from the hayloft and then moved over to the horse, stroking her face. “Can we take the horse?” 

“That’d be stealing, Dot.” 

“She’s a horse, she can do what she wants.” 

Wakko considered a second, and then shook his head. “It’s probably warmer in here. Don’t want to make her uncomfy.” 

“That’s fair.” Dot gave the horse a quick kiss, and then moved back to Wakko and grabbed his hand. “Let’s get our stupid brother, yeah?” 

They started out again, and Dot kept holding Wakko’s hand as they pressed on into the woods, making sure they didn’t get separated. They once again stepped over the snow, which hadn’t melted even a bit since last night; in fact, it seemed to have gotten colder. Dot didn’t really notice, though. She simply gripped her brother’s hand, and then eventually started looking around, staring at the frosted branches and shining icicles. At one point, she stopped a moment, staring at small bunny tracks, heading into a bush full of red berries. 

“Those are ones that make you throw up.” Wakko said wisely. 

Dot shook her head. “It just looks  _ so _ pretty.” 

“I guess?” 

“Hey, I haven’t seen the forest in snow before. Gimme a break.” 

“Oh, right.” Wakko let go of her to rub his arm. 

While they weren’t touching, Dot scampered to a tree, putting her hand against the snowy bark and leaving a print. She giggled, and then flopped back into the snow, sinking down slightly and waving her arms. 

“We should probably move.” Wakko muttered. 

“I know, I know, just… give me a second.” 

Wakko nodded, squatting down while Dot laid in the snow a moment. He then proceeded to reach down and eat the snow in front of him while he waited on her to eventually get up and press on towards the mountains. 

When she finally sat up, she glanced back, seeing snow now stuck in her ponytail. She giggled and shook her head, trying to wave the snow away. She didn’t think too far ahead, though, and so the snow flew off of her and right onto Wakko. 

“Hey!” 

“Sorry!” 

Wakko stared at her a second, and then leaned down and rolled up a snowball, before throwing it at her face. Dot let out a shriek of joy as she fell back, before getting up and tackling her brother. They rolled in the snow for a bit, laughing as their antics caused the white flakes around them to burst into the air, showering them again, so it felt like they were still in a blizzard, but this time one of their own making. 

When they finally tired out, they sat under the tree, giggling and hugging their legs. Wakko then leaned over to brush snow from his sister’s face, smiling down at her. Dot, meanwhile, looked up at him. 

“You know,” she said, “With the snow, you kinda look black-and-white, like a dalmatian.” 

“Well, we might be dogs, so maybe we’re part dalmatian.” 

“You can’t even tell the white streak is there.” 

Wakko’s smile flickered. “Yeah. I… guess…” 

He glanced around, before seeing, behind the bushes, a frozen-over stream. He turned and crawled through the bushes, shaking the snow from those leaves and onto his sister, who confusedly followed him. He slid down to the river, before staring in, squinting in order to see his reflection in the ice. 

Dot slid beside him, and asked, “Hey. Something up?” 

Wakko stared more, at his black-and-white reflection. Dot was right, you really  _ couldn’t  _ separate which white tuft was natural and which was covered in snow. It looked almost magical. 

He shook the snow from his fur, and then said, “No, I just… wanted to see.” He glanced to the distance, and said, “We should get to the mountain. We don’t want to lose him.” 

They attempted conversation through the rest of the woods, but it died pretty quickly. There just wasn’t much to say without turning their trek into a therapy session that neither of them wanted to attend- they were surrounded by beauty, which was made of their brother’s hidden magic that was cursing the kingdom. They were sure their family at home was doing great, except there was the possibility they could die, and they were working against their brother’s curse, which just brought them full circle back to that first point. Honestly, everything just seemed to go back to that. That probably made sense, considering that was the most pressing issue at the moment. 

Eventually, they reached the bottom of the mountain, and looked up to see they’d reached the side of it that had absolutely no slope to walk up, and they’d have to start up by climbing. Wakko glanced up, considering. “I remember Daddoo telling me about mountain climbing. You’re supposed to look for ledges, but there’s always the risk you run out of enough above you, and then you really,  _ really  _ don’t want to fall.” 

“Yeah, picked that up.” 

“We may be able to climb up with just our claws, but it could take some time. We could also stage some kind of chase so the toon logic enables us to run up the side like it’s nothing, but we do risk falling off halfway through for comedic effect. Maybe we could call your bird mafia friends in and have them fly us up.” 

“Wakko.” 

“Hmm?” 

Dot waited until he turned to look at her, and then she made a wide, dramatic gesture to her hair. 

“Yeah, Dot, I dunno how to tell you this, but mountains tend to be bigger than thirty feet.” 

“How big do they tend to be?” 

“I dunno, Yakko’s the geography kid.” 

“Well we just swing my hair up, find a ledge, and then swing up again. How long could it take?” 

“You know we’d have nothing under us if we fell.” 

“Yeah?” 

Wakko considered. “Eh, let’s try it.” 

Dot shot him a thumbs-up and began to unbead her hair. Wakko, meanwhile, turned back up to the mountain, inspecting it. It was definitely huge, the peak disappearing into the sky. But if he squinted, he  _ swore  _ he could see something up there, reflecting down at them. 

“Do you think Yakko climbed the mountain?” 

“Probably. He’s cool like that.” 

“So you think he’s up there?” 

“He better be. If we climb all this way and he’s not there, I’m going to toss an anvil on his head.” 

Dot finally stuffed her beads into her coat pocket and then swung her fur. “Ready?” 

“Sure. But if you drop me I  _ will _ kill you.” 

“Fair.” 

Dot tossed her hair up, waiting until it wrapped around something- a ledge, a branch, something solid enough. Then she tugged it, making sure they were safe for the moment, and said, “Alright, hold on, bro, let a pro show you how to climb stuff.” 

Wakko bit his lip, then pressed his hat lower. “Sure.” 

Dot was too excited to try her idea to notice, as she grabbed onto her brother’s side, that he’d pulled the hat over his bangs again. 


	36. The Demanitus Device

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX - THE DEMANITUS DEVICE**

Pinky and the Brain had finally been in a safe location for the past few months, which was longer than they had ever remembered. For a while, their retreat back into their normal routine, of attempting to take over the world despite their new daughter literally being in the royal family, of coming up with a new convoluted plan that would inevitably backfire on them, was, in a way, part of their fear that this would go away soon, so they shouldn’t get comfortable in a new reality. They’d get forced back into the old one eventually, so why bother? 

As the weeks moved on, though, nothing bad happened- in fact, things only got  _ better.  _ People stopped giving them side-looks and angry glares, and they had space and peace and no fear of being caught and trapped against their will again. And, as a bit of a bonus? They had more than just each other. True, they were perfectly happy with just each other, they wouldn’t have lasted this long on the run together if they weren’t- but it wasn’t…  _ bad _ to have other people there. Especially Dot, and her brothers; they got used to Dot finding them wherever they were in the castle, rambling about something that had happened during her day, or something funny she’d read about, and not complaining at all when they’d hand her a bag of gunpowder to hold for them while they set up the cannon. Her brothers were around them less, but when they saw them, Yakko took great pride in trying to push their buttons- which annoyed Brain until he realized Yakko was unable to get to Pinky and contented himself just watching them bounce off each other- and Wakko liked to ask them what they were up to and if he could be of any help and if they had any candy, or if they wanted to share the candy he’d carried with him. They were good kids, really, and they had this innocence about them that the mice hadn’t seen in a long while. 

All that to say, after the past few months of castle life, they were starting to fade into it. They got less jumpy, less convinced that this wouldn’t last forever, and had started to settle in. Agreed to take a night off from taking over the world if it would keep Yakko happy (not that that mattered, apparently…). Got used to having excitable children bounce around- which Brain had to get used to more than Pinky, who was just happy to have friends. And they got used to not minding much when everything didn’t go according to plan, because it didn’t mean another night of hiding away and wishing for something better. 

Still, a lifetime of being on the run doesn’t go away in such a short time, so when action was needed, they knew what to do. It wasn’t too much of a jolt to get back into clinging to the back of something fast, ducking out of sight, gathering materials together and getting ready to work as fast as possible. 

That didn’t mean, though, that it wasn’t weird as hell to be sitting in the corner of a children’s wagon full of inventing materials and tools while an easily-distracted mutt raced them down the halls and up and down stairs, with only the cat clinging to his back controlling which direction they were trying to get him to go. 

Still. That cat had also once swordfought another dog with a mallet, so this wasn’t the strangest thing in the world. 

It took quite a bit longer than necessary for Runt to get to the tunnels, but that had been expected. They’d lost quite a bit of ground when Runt  _ thought _ he saw a bird and went down three halls to chase it, but eventually Rita had yanked his ears enough to turn him around and get him back on track. When he finally slid to a stop in front of the room that hid the entrance to the tunnels, the mice were very shaken up, but no more than they’d predicted. 

“Heel, boy.” Rita said as her friend stopped, and then she leapt off his back and began petting him with her front paws. “Good boy! Good boy!” 

_ “Oh boy!”  _ Runt cheered, tail wagging. “That’s me!  _ I’m _ the good boy!” 

“Whoo-ee!” Pinky cheered, sitting up and stretching. “That was a fun ride, wasn’t it, Brain?” 

Brain, who’d crashed into the walls quite a bit, muttered, “I believe I may have suffered a concussion.” 

“Aw, I loved it, too!” Pinky said, helping Brain to his feet. 

Rita moved over to the door, tapping a pattern onto it. After a moment, she heard Buttons’s bark, and leapt up to the doorknob to push it down and then yank the door open. Runt went in, shaking his fur a little in excitement and still dragging the wagon behind him. 

Buttons came over, sniffing at the contents, as Rita swung back down to the ground, and Brain said, “Don’t be so suspicious, dog, these were all acquired…  _ semi- _ legally.” 

“Narf!” Pinky agreed. 

Buttons rolled his eyes, but pulled aside the flag that Wakko had described to him. Behind it lay the tunnels; the floor had already begun to be boarded up, wood covering part of the hole and stone beginning to stack towards the bottom. 

“We’ll have to be cautious in order to enter without notice.” Brain pondered, putting a paw to his chin. “Pinky and I should be able to edge through the cracks in that uneven wood, while Rita may be able to squeeze. Perhaps Buttons and Runt could-” 

_ “Bug! _ I see a bug!” Runt barked, before taking off at a run. 

_ “Runt, you’re still pulling the-”  _ Brain began. 

He didn’t listen, and everyone shouted as he leapt up and tore through the wooden barrier, shattering them around him. Everyone else shielded their faces from the debris, while Runt only skidded a little upon landing before running a bit more into the tunnels, sniffing the air for some bug he believed he saw. Brain and Pinky, who’d only barely held on to the wagon, sat up, quite dizzy. 

“Well.” Brain sighed. “That would work as well. Are you alive, Pinky?” 

Pinky, still confused, muttered, “I didn’t know Oliver Twist was a cat…” 

“He’s fine.” Brain then scampered to the other side of the wagon. “Runt, that was incredibly reckless of you.” 

“Thanks!” Runt wagged his tail. 

“Don’t worry, Brainiac.” Rita rolled her eyes, before leaping up into the tunnel. “Someday we’ll listen to you.” 

The tunnels were dark, so the mice stayed in the wagon, hoping that the natural nightvision of the dogs and cat would lead them in the right direction. Buttons led, trying to recall the directions Wakko had given for the mysterious tunnel and sniffing for the metal scent he’d said was in that direction. They could tell when he lost the scene, because his tail drooped and she started sniffing in a circle, trying to catch it again; when he gained it back, he bounced up and barked joyfully, before gesturing for Runt to follow him. Runt, of course, noticed nothing, instead chattering on about how much fun it was to hide in the snow and how nice it was that the cold killed fleas. Rita laid on his back as he walked, curled up and opening her eyes every now and again just to make sure that Runt wasn’t about to wander in the wrong direction. 

Buttons gave them a light bark when he finally reached the right tunnel exit, staring up at symbols of the sun and moon etched above. Pinky quickly got up and scampered to the edge of the wagon. “Egad!” 

“What is it, Pinky?” Brain asked, moving over to his side. 

“It’s  _ still  _ dark!” 

Brain took a deep breath, and then bopped him on the head. Pinky laughed, as Rita jumped down and moved to the edge of the tunnel entrance. “It is steep, kid wasn’t lying.” 

“Alright. We have rope, I suggest we tie it to some rock or jagged edge and let it dangle. If it’s long enough, we’ll have a way out, and if it’s not… well, we’ll simply get a second rope.” 

“Great plan, well thought-out.” Rita yawned. 

“Dot asked us to do this at the last minute, did you expect me to have a complete battle strategy?” 

“Honestly, I expected you to have a breakdown, but maybe that was wishful thinking.” 

Buttons rolled his eyes and grabbed one end of the rope from the wagon, moving to a far wall and searching for something to tie it to while the others argued. He eventually found a stone that jutted out of the wall far enough to work, so he wrapped the rope around, tying it in about three knots- being Mindy’s babysitter, he had learned early on not to take risks. 

He then moved to the wagon, pushing Pinky and the Brain aside in order to grab the other rope’s end. Once they all quieted down, he then paced to the tunnel’s entrance and tossed the rope. They listened a moment as it fell, until they heard a soft  _ thump.  _

“Well, the rope is long enough, so this whole discussion was unnecessary.” Brain sighed. 

“Your  _ face _ is unnecessary.” Rita retorted. 

‘So, uh?” Runt sat, cocking his head to the side and flopping his ear. “Who gets to go first?” 

“There could be any number of things down that tunnel.” Brain said. “So we should send someone who would be able to-” 

“I’ll go!” Pinky cheered. He then leapt from the wagon, ran to the rope, and slid down.  _ “Wheeeeeeeeeeee-!”  _

“Wow.” Brain said, staring down the tunnel. “Nobody  _ does _ listen to me, do they?” 

“It’ll happen eventually.” Rita said. 

After a second, they heard, “It’s okay to come down! It’s even darker down here! Narf!” 

“Oh, joy.” Brain sighed. 

They did eventually slide down, with Runt and Buttons trying to balance the wagon without tipping it as they went down. It was difficult, what with the wheels wanting to speed up as much as possible, but they finally reached the bottom of the slope without losing their supplies. Then came down Rita, with Brain clinging to her tail. Once they reached the others, he released her tail, and went over to Pinky. “Well, which direction do you believe we should go?” 

“Well, there’s only one direction, Brain!” 

“Ah, good. I was afraid there might be a forking path.” 

“Oh, no, don’t worry! There’s just this pit, and then the way back up.” 

Brain shut his eyes.  _ “...what?”  _

“Aw, beans.” Rita said, before moving to a wall, pressing against the stone. It was then, as Brain’s eyes adjusted, that he realized they were, indeed, simply in a small room with no exit. 

“Are you telling me…” Brain said, turning slowly, “That we snuck past the palace guards, broke into a forbidden tunnel, and traveled all this way for  _ nothing?”  _

“Oh, not nothing! I ate a bug!” Runt said excitedly. 

“No, you didn’t.” Rita said. 

“Oh, right. That was Tuesday. Definitely, definitely Tuesday.” 

Buttons sniffed, and then barked a question. 

“I don’t  _ know _ why you still smell ‘something metallic!’” Brain said. “But do you  _ see _ an ancient machine over here? Because all I see is  _ rocks!”  _

“That’s not true, Brain!” Pinky said. “I see, er… I see you!” 

Brain groaned and slapped his forehead. 

“And I see Rita and Runt! And a rope! And darkness!  _ Narf!  _ And Buttons sniffing the wall!” 

“Buttons,  _ please  _ stop sniffing the wall!” Brain called. “We should start our ascent back up the rope.” 

“You know, I’m  _ tired.”  _ Rita yawned. “Can’t we just freeze to death?” 

“Now, that wouldn’t be very smart, Rita.” Pinky said, putting his paws on his hips. “Dot is counting on us to… er… what was our mission again?” 

“Imbeciles.” Brain sighed, staring up at the stone. “I’m surrounded by imbeciles.” 

“Technically, we’re surrounded by rock.” 

Buttons turned and let out a loud bark to, once again, get them to shut up, and then he turned and sniffed the wall again. He lifted his eyes to some kind of symbol, etched into the stone, and then stood on his hind legs and pressed his paws against it. It moved backwards, and then, with a rumble, the wall opened, revealing another, farther tunnel behind. 

“Just how many secret passages can one castle  _ have?”  _ Brain asked. 

“Enough, apparently.” Rita leapt off of Runt’s back and shook her fur. “Let’s head out. Grab onto my tail, mice, so you don’t trip and die over something.” Brain sighed, as Rita then let out a yowl, and a,  _ “I was talking to the mice, Runt, not you!”  _

“Oops, sorry, Rita!” 

The mice waited til she calmed down to grab her tail, and then she followed Buttons, who kept the lead, sniffing ahead and taking them down the winding tunnel, ears perked to pick up any small sound ahead of them, in case of an attack. Not that it felt like anything had lived down here for a long while; everything was a bit dusty, a bit too cold, and creaked under their feet, the walls groaning every few steps. 

They walked for what seemed like forever, and when Runt stopped pulling the wagon a moment and fell asleep, they eventually called a break, all curling up in a pile of fluff. Then, when they awoke, they continued on as they had before.

“So.” Pinky said, after a while. “What do we think these tunnels were for?” 

“So the royal peeps could break into stuff.” Rita guessed. 

“It was likely added as a potential escape route in case of an attempted coup, lower class uprising, or foreign invasion.” Brain said. 

“Ah.” Pinky nodded. “I was going to guess that it was to deliver pizzas, but those are good, too.” 

They jumped, then, as Buttons gave a panicked yelp. They looked ahead, as they saw Buttons begin to fall off some form of ledge. Rita raced forward, biting on his tail and yanking him back. She began to slide after him until Runt grabbed onto the scruff of her neck and swung her up, causing the mice, still gripping on her tail, to swing wildly in the air. Pinky cheered and Brain shouted, and Runt pulled back until Buttons had finally been dragged back to solid ground. 

“Okay, there’s a drop there.” Rita said, as Runt put her down and the mice clung to her tail hard enough to cut off circulation, “Good to know.” 

“The  _ hell _ is a drop doing there?” Brain asked. 

Rita considered, blinking. “Still trying to see ahead. It’s dark even for us- Brain, do you have any matches in that wagon?” 

“Yes, there should be a small box in the back.” 

“Cool, hold onto Buttons a moment.” 

She passed them off to Buttons’s tail as the guard dog struggled to his feet, and she leapt into the wagon, digging through. Finally, she found the match, and held it in a paw, striking it against stone and lighting it. 

“It’s not much.” she said. “But… hold on.” 

“What?” 

“I think there’s one of those weird fire-holder things over here. You know, where you light it and the whole thing sets on fire and you can see things through the whole room?” 

“Do  _ not _ do that, Rita. In something this old, you never know what could happen if you- you already did, didn’t you?” 

“Just dropped it.  _ And  _ there we go!” 

Fire began to spread, indeed, inbetween small stone walls. It rushed across, pushing the darkness away and bringing life into the cavern. And as light spread, they could see ahead; they were atop a long, spiraling stairwell, that led to the bottom of the room they’d entered, which towered above them and spun into a domed ceiling. And filling the room, from the bottom of the stairwell, on through the high ceiling, brushing against roots that sprung from the walls, was a huge, strange, and awe-inspiring machine. 

The center of the machine was large and looming, pushing up in a cylindrical shape, but when they peered towards the bottom, they could see some kind of wheel, meant for spinning the entire thing. And poking out from the center were what seemed to be large spheres on thorns, more circles and dots jutting from them, like a child’s solar system toy. Small gems littered the spheres as well, placed very carefully, and in what seemed to be a deliberate, patterned manner. 

“Oh my…” Brain muttered. 

“Well.” Rita said, stepping back. “Um? I think we found the Demanitus Device.” 

_ “Narf!”  _

“That,” Runt said wisely, “Is one big chew toy.” 

“Do  _ not _ chew on it.” Brain said, putting a paw on Runt’s leg. “This is clearly a piece of ancient history.” 

“Yeah, and we have been walking for hours to get to it,” Rita said, “So if it doesn’t blow this storm out to sea, I’m gonna claw someone’s eyes out. Let’s get started down these stairs, eh?” 

“How are we gonna get the wagon down?” Pinky asked. “Should we just throw it, or-?” 

“Pinky, if you throw the wagon down the stairs, I’ll throw  _ you _ with it.” 

“Poit!” 

“We’ll have to move slowly. Buttons, you take one end-” 

“Good Spielberg.” Rita sighed. She peered over the stairwell’s edge, looking at how high up they were, and then said, “Dot better appreciate the crap we’re doing for her.” 


	37. Life's Too Short to Lose You Forever

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN - LIFE’S TOO SHORT TO LOSE YOU FOREVER**

Wakko and Dot took a break on a large-enough ledge after quite a while of climbing. Dot let her hair down, and they watched its thirty feet fly up and blow in the breeze ahead of them. 

“Sure that won’t blow you away?” Wakko asked cautiously. 

“Hasn’t yet.” Dot shrugged. “Did you bring snacks?” 

“I ate them all on the way.” 

“Eh, I’m sure we’ll find food soon… maybe Yakko can use his weird powers to make ice cream.” 

“Oh, that would be neat.” Wakko smiled slightly, before bouncing his leg and turning back to look out at the view. “How much longer do you think…?” 

“Probably not long. I’d say an hour, tops.” Dot said, glancing up to try and judge the distance. “Hey, is there something shiny up top?” 

“Probably, it seems like there’s  _ always _ something shiny  _ everywhere.”  _

They fell into an uncomfortable silence again, kicking their legs and resting against the mountainside. Finally, though, Wakko glanced over and asked, “What are we even gonna say?” 

“We’ll figure it out when we get there.” 

“Sounds like a plan, I guess.” 

“In that case, we should get moving then.” 

Dot blinked over at him, and then said softly, “Are you doing okay?” 

“Of course I’m fine. I’m not the one who accidentally cursed the kingdom.” 

“You don’t seem fine.” 

Wakko stared at her in confusion and surprise, before shaking his head and saying, “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You’re just… I dunno. Being way too direct. Not very… funny, you know?” 

“This isn’t a funny situation.” 

“I guess not, but we’ve been through dangerous stuff before and you’ve never been like this.” 

Wakko bristled a little. “I guess a lot just happened at once. A lot to think about.” 

“Do you want me to go up alone?” 

Wakko froze over. “What?” 

“If you don’t feel good, I can try to talk to him myself. I don’t want you overstressing or anything. I know it’s all really weird-  _ I  _ feel really weird right now, but-” 

“You’re not leaving me behind.” Wakko shook his head, gripping tighter to the ledge. 

“If you don’t feel okay-” 

“I’m  _ perfectly fine,  _ and I’m  _ not staying behind.”  _ Wakko snapped. “So throw up your stupid hair and let’s get our stupid brother to talk to us.” 

Dot gaped. “Hey, don’t be  _ rude!  _ I just wanna help!” 

Wakko opened his mouth to retort, and then shut his eyes and leaned back, crossing his arms. He took a deep breath, and then said, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s… but I’m not going to just stay back and wait.” 

Dot sighed and nodded, holding out her hand for his. “It’s alright. Come here.” 

Wakko took her paw, and then she leaned on his shoulder, sighing. They were once again silent for a moment, letting the cold breeze blow over them. 

“Do you think you need food?” Dot eventually asked. “You get weird when you’re hungry.” 

“Might be.” 

“Well, when we get up there, you can eat all the rocks you want.” 

“Sounds good.” 

“Then I guess we should get going.” Dot sighed and then grabbed onto her fur, twirling it. “Ready?” 

Wakko glanced at the landscape ahead of them, and then looked down, at how far up they’d already gone. 

“As I’ll ever be.” 

When they eventually stepped onto the snowy peak, Wakko raced towards the nearest stone and, indeed, ate it immediately. He then dug around in the snow, burying himself a little, looking for more. He didn’t notice, then, as he looked, that Dot was slowly stepping up behind him, staring up. 

“You know,” Wakko said, after digging out another rock to eat, “Snow really adds a certain flavor to it.” 

“Wakko?” 

“It might just be the shock of cold, but I think there’s a bit of sweet flavor in there.” 

_ “Wakko.”  _

Wakko pulled a larger stone from the ground. “Do you want one? Wait, sorry, you don’t eat stone, I forgot-”

_ “Wakko!”  _

Wakko blinked, swiftly swallowed the rock, and then turned to his sister. “What? Did I eat the wrong thing again?” 

Dot shook her head, and then pointed up behind him. Wakko flopped his ears to the side curiously, and then turned and immediately realized what was shocking her. 

Ahead of them lay a spiral staircase, leading up to a higher peak of the mountain. That wasn’t entirely unusual, but what  _ was _ interesting was that the staircase was definitely made of  _ ice. _ It was coated in frost, small flakes bobbing up and down within the steps. And above the staircase, when they looked up, they could see a towering, bright,  _ beautiful  _ castle of the same frozen material, shining under the sun, glistening and sparkling against the white mountains and snowy sky. They could see pillars, balconies, windows… and facing the stairwell, the only door, shaped like a gate, the shadow of which loomed over the stairs’ railings. 

“Whoa.” Wakko said. “Now  _ that  _ is certainly something shiny.” 

“You can say that again.” Dot said, as she pulled out her beads and began to pull her hair back. 

“Whoa. Now  _ that  _ is certainly something shiny.” 

“Ha-ha. Had no idea Yakko had any sense of design.” 

“It looks way better than his drawings, that’s for sure.” 

Once her ponytail was complete, Dot carefully moved to the stairwell, putting her paw on the railing. She shivered slightly at the cold, but then said, “It feels solid. I bet we can walk up this way…” 

Wakko noticed her hesitation, and then said, “You’re tired, aren’t you?” 

“No, no-” 

“From climbing all this way.” 

“I’ve climbed more stuff, I-  _ Wakko!”  _

Wakko, moving behind her, simply swept her up and lifted her onto his back. He smiled as she groaned, and said, “Alright, my apology for being snappy, I’ll carry you up.” 

“Do  _ not, _ you  _ will _ drop me.” 

“Then let’s see how far I can go!” 

_ “Wakko, the stairs are the one thing keeping us from plummeting a thousand feet to the ground.”  _

“Challenge mode. Hold on!” 

Dot sighed and resigned herself to her fate as Wakko began up the stairs, giggling at the ice that hit the cold pads of his paws. The stairs swirled beneath them as Wakko picked up speed, hurrying along. Dot was afraid for a while that he’d slip, but he seemed to be doing pretty well, and before she knew it, he reached the top of the stairs, and he slid her back down to the ground on the snowy peak of the mountain. 

Now that they were closer to the castle, they could see the detail in its walls; the swirling snowflake shapes, the curves and spirals of the pillars. Dot whistled, while Wakko simply looked it over a second, and then walked up to the door. He raised a paw to knock, and then stopped, hesitation flickering across his face. He stared at the icy door for a very long time, until Dot finally moved up behind him and knocked for him. 

The door immediately pushed itself open, and the siblings jumped. Dot peered in first, looking to see if their older brother was there. She didn’t see him at all, so she simply walked inside, calling, “Yakko?” 

She stopped in the middle of the room, staring up at the wide ceiling, transfixed by how pretty it all was. Wakko walked up behind her, grabbing her hand, and they turned towards the walls, where they could see the flickering, waving reflections of the snow outside, filtered through the ice. 

“Wakko? Dot?” 

They jumped and turned, and then stared in awe at the top of another stairwell, upon which stood their oldest brother. 

He looked completely different, and yet more regal and relaxed than he ever had. His clothes had turned a light, glittering blue, accented with silver and made of some form of flowing fabric. What was most noticeable, though, of course, was the bright white fur that now covered him, just as Dot had expected. It shone against the backdrop of the palace, making Yakko look like he’d always been meant to be here. 

“Whoa.” Wakko whispered. 

“Yakko!” Dot cheered, her eyes widening. “Oh my  _ gosh,  _ you look  _ beautiful!”  _

He laughed and smiled, moving down the stairs a little. “Thanks, baby sis.” 

“This whole place!” Dot spun, gesturing to the walls with her arms. “It’s  _ amazing!  _ You never told me you were an interior decorator!” 

Yakko laughed harder, gripping onto the railing. “It’s nothing!” 

“It’s  _ great!  _ It’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen!” 

“Come on, it’s not-” 

“No! Really! Tell him, Wakko!” 

Wakko paused, and then said, “I would totally eat this.” 

“Aw, see, he agrees with me!” 

“Thank you.” Yakko said politely, before looking at the railing his paw rested on, and then scanning the room with a soft smile. “I never knew that I could do stuff like this.” 

“It’s wonderful.” 

Yakko then paused, and looked down at his siblings, a flicker of fear in his eyes. “What are you doing here?” 

His siblings shared a glance, and then Dot stepped forward, to the bottom of the staircase. “Look, Yakko, I’m  _ really  _ sorry about what happened. I didn’t mean what I said, and if I’d’ve known-” 

When Yakko saw she was headed towards him, he retreated a few steps. “No, no, it’s okay! It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize, I get it, but… you should probably go. Like, now.” 

“What?” Dot shook her head. “We just got here.” 

“Look, it’s great you came all this way- don’t you have guards with you?” 

“No, we came by ourselves.” 

“That’s…” Yakko stopped himself, then took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. It was nice to see you both, but you need to go back.” 

“Excuse me? We’re not leaving you.” 

“No, you gotta. Look, it’s fine, I’m happy here! I can get used to being alone if it means I don’t hurt anyone ever again.” 

“Um, about that-” Dot began. 

“Look, you don’t need me.” Yakko shrugged, backing up a little more. “It’s fine! I’d just screw everything up anyway. I abdicate the throne, the council can take over again until Wakko is…” he and Yakko then shared a glance, both realizing how bad of an idea that was. “...until you’re fifteen, Dot. I’ll be okay up here! You can come visit when I’ve got a… a better handle on things.” 

“Oh, absolutely not.” Dot shook her head, and started up the steps. “You’re gonna come down here and we’re gonna talk about this as a family.” 

“I’m  _ just  _ trying to protect you two!” 

“You don’t  _ have  _ to!” 

Yakko continued up the stairs, and Dot followed. Wakko slipped slightly on the ice as he rushed over, but he quickly caught up with his sister as she continued to call for her brother. 

“Nope, nope! You turn right back around and talk to us!” 

“Dot, seriously, just go!” 

“We have important things to talk about, actually!” 

They reached the second floor, and Yakko quickly moved to the center of the room, under a glistening chandelier, holding out his hands to halt his siblings at the top of the stairwell. “Look! It’s not safe for you two to be here. I’m  _ fine _ when I don’t have to feel things, and you guys are giving me a  _ lot _ of emotions right now. So just don’t remind me that I have feelings, okay, and I’ll hang out over here. In the mountains. I’ve been thinking about adding, like, an ice rollercoaster.” 

“Oh, that sounds like fun!” Wakko said. 

“I know, right!” 

_ “Yakko.”  _ Dot hissed, taking another step closer. “Come on.” 

“Don’t get closer.” 

“Look, things can be different now.” Dot said. “We understand!” 

“I can’t lose you two.” 

“And we can’t lose  _ you.”  _ Wakko said quietly. “Not again!” 

“We know what’s wrong now,” Dot said, “So we can all work together to fix it.” 

“That’s a  _ horrible  _ idea.” Yakko retorted, shaking his head. “I can’t be around people. I just end up hurting them.” 

“You haven’t hurt us yet.” 

“Yes, I  _ have.”  _ Yakko’s voice broke slightly, as his siblings stiffened, confusion spreading across their faces. “Just go, I promise I’ll be fine. I’m free up here. Where I can’t endanger anyone again.” 

“Okay, so, yeah, we should probably get to that-” Dot began. 

Then, to her surprise, behind her, Wakko said, “It’s this, isn’t it?” 

She turned, shocked, as Wakko brushed his white tuft to the front of his face again. He looked up just in time to see Yakko flinch and step back again, eyes darting to the balcony, as if he intended to retreat there. Wakko’s eyes went to Dot, who didn’t seem to understand what he was saying, and slowly, he stepped in front of his sister, closer to Yakko, his fur the same color as his brother’s streak. 

“Everyone said you changed after we got sick.” Wakko said slowly. “And then you opened up again when Dot was born, and then when she-” 

“Wakko, please, just go back home.” 

Wakko, however, was piecing everything together in his mind. “I wasn’t born with this, was I?” 

“I- I’m  _ sorry-”  _

“Mum and I were sick.” Wakko repeated, looking down at the floor. “And nobody could cure her without the flower. Cause it was something magic, wasn’t it?” 

Dot’s eyes darted between her brothers. “Wakko?” 

“The Ticktockian King disappearing right when we got sick… that old lullaby-  _ ice has a magic, can’t be controlled…”  _

Yakko was dead silent, tears springing to the edge of his eyes. And as they watched, small flakes of snow began to drift around the room. 

“Yakko, please. Don’t lie to me again.” Wakko said, finally looking over at his brother. 

Yakko blinked away tears, and then whispered, “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault.” 

Wakko blinked. “Yakko, I-” 

“Hold it.” Dot said. She stepped into the room, holding up her hands. “What are you  _ talking  _ about?” 

_ “Everything  _ is my fault, okay?” Yakko snapped at her, causing her to jump. “I’m cursing everyone just by existing.” 

“That’s not true!” 

“Dot, all it took was  _ one  _ breakdown!” Yakko shouted, as the snow picked up. “I got too upset just  _ once  _ and I  _ killed someone! I could have killed all of you, too!  _ The only reason you’re not dead is because Dad got lucky enough to find that flower, and  _ that’s the reason everyone fell apart!  _ We wouldn’t have… if I hadn’t…” he stepped back again. “Now you know, I’m dangerous, I can still hurt you. So just go, before I mess up again.” 

“Yakko!” Dot shouted. “You were, what,  _ four or five _ when this happened? Nobody’s gonna  _ blame _ you for screwing up when you were a baby!” 

“Well,  _ I  _ do!” Yakko said. “And you should, too! Just get away from me.” 

“We are  _ not _ leaving.” 

“Just  _ go!”  _

“Yakko!” Wakko shouted, drawing his brother’s attention. Slowly, he held up his hands, trying to calm him down. “Look, let’s just- let’s just talk about this.” 

“We don’t have  _ anything  _ to talk about.” 

“Oh, we  _ don’t?” _ Dot snapped. 

“Nope! Thanks for coming up to see the place, now you know everything,  _ get out!”  _

Wakko flinched as the snow sped up around him, and he slowly approached his siblings, about halfway between them, holding out his arms. “Both of you, calm down. You’re being too loud, and it’s only going to freak you out more.” 

“You need to  _ go home.”  _ Yakko said. “You’ll be safe from me there.” 

“Actually,  _ about that!”  _ Dot finally said. 

Yakko blinked. “What do you mean, ‘about that’?” 

“Yeah,” Wakko flinched, “I get the feeling you don’t know.” 

_ “What  _ do I not know?” 

“Okay, but first, you have to promise not to freak out.” Wakko said. 

_ “Why would I freak out?”  _

“Just take a deep breath. Count to four and breathe in. One… two…” 

“What  _ did I do?”  _

Seeing clearly that Yakko wasn’t about to calm down, Dot burst, “You kinda set off an enchanted winter… everywhere.” 

_ “Everywhere?”  _

“But it’s okay!” Wakko said. “You can just unfreeze it.” 

“N-no I can’t!” something flashed behind Yakko’s eyes, some kind of memory that caused the snow to pick up even more. “I can’t uncurse things! I can’t… I don’t know…” 

“We can  _ help.  _ I  _ know _ we can.” Dot insisted. She took another breath, forcing away her frustration. “Please, just let us help you.” 

“No! Nobody can  _ help _ me!” Yakko stepped back, closer to the balcony, trembling. “And I can’t hide this time, it’s not working…” 

“Yakko, please-” 

“He was right, he was right. All of this is my fault! And it won’t  _ stop!”  _

Wakko raced over to Dot, yanking her back as the magical wind pushed on, starting to pelt them with thick snow. He called out, “Just breathe, okay? Just calm down-!” 

“Wakko, Dot,  _ go!”  _ Yakko shouted, turning to them. “You’re making it  _ worse!”  _

“Don’t panic!” Wakko called. 

Yakko began to tug on his ears. “Shut up!  _ Shut up!  _ You shut up,  _ you  _ shut up, and  _ stop that stupid voice!”  _

Dot pulled away from her brother, shivering and trying to get closer to Yakko. “Please! We can fix it all!” 

_ “You’re not safe here! It’s going to happen again-”  _

“We can face it _ together!” _

_ “I CAN’T!”  _

With that, the snow stopped, and then it all rushed inside of Yakko, and burst out again, blasting through the room, shattering against walls, flying out of windows, and heading right for his siblings. Dot shouted, throwing her hands out in front of her and shutting her eyes. 

But then she heard a loud, roaring  _ shatter,  _ just in front of her, and felt nothing hit her. 

She paused a moment, wondering if she was just having a delayed reaction, but… no? She blinked open her eyes, and looked ahead of her. 

Right in front of her was a huge, pointed, black rock. 

She stared in horror, and then looked beyond it, to see a terrified Yakko meeting her gaze. But before she could turn to Wakko, another rock suddenly burst up beside her. 

_ “Angie!”  _

Dot rushed away from the rocks, as yet another popped up, almost piercing her tail; these were  _ much _ bigger than they had been at the memorial, reaching all the way up here, and they looked  _ sharper,  _ darker. She started to run, unthinkingly heading straight for Yakko. Yakko let out a sob and tried to back up again, but Dot threw her arms around him in a tight hug. 

Before anyone could say anything else, more rocks began bursting into the palace, causing it to shake. The foundation rumbled under their paws, and Dot pushed away from her brother and began to unbead her hair. “We have to  _ get out,  _ this place is collapsing!” 

Yakko backed several steps away from her, staring down at his paws, and then he heard Wakko scream. He looked up just in time to see two rocks pop up beside his brother, surrounding him. He leapt forward, pushing Wakko out of the way, the two of them toppling to the ground, which continued to shake. 

“Yakko, Wakko, come here!” 

Yakko paused, looking up at her in a panic, his arms still around Wakko. His eyes followed the ascending rocks, and then, before he could speak, the ground beneath them shattered, and the siblings fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. 
> 
> We may be going, as the kids say, "off-book" for a little bit.


	38. Beware

**CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT - BEWARE**

The brothers lost their hold on each other sometime during the fall. Yakko was pounded by shattered blocks of ice and pieces of stone until he finally hit solid ground, which sent a shockwave of pain through his back. He screamed and sat up, opening his eyes, and only seeing darkness ahead of him. But he was able to hear everything fall around him, feel the rumbles as they crashed beside his body, and so he fell back on instinct, curling up on himself and rolling back. Without thinking, he threw up his hands, a small shield of ice forming above him and blocking the debris from hitting him. Yakko stayed there, shaking and holding back tears, until everything stopped. 

When he was reasonably sure that everything had stopped collapsing around him, that he wasn’t about to be crushed by the rubble, he immediately threw out his hands, letting the ice fly out and shatter against a nearby wall. He screamed into his lap, and then screamed louder when frost formed beneath his paws once again. 

_ Don’t feel, don’t feel, don’t feel…  _

“Yakko?” 

Wakko’s voice was muffled, distant. Yakko shot up, eyes flying open, trying to adjust to the darkness, and then he followed the noise, pressing himself against whatever was keeping him from his brother- stone, stone, stone, a wall of crushed stone. He glanced up, squinting; he thought he could start to see the outlines of the rocks. There must be a way to tumble them without hurting his brother… 

“Yakko!  _ Yakko! Yakko, are you here?”  _

He sounded panicked. Yakko let out a desperate cry. “I’m here! I’m here, I can hear you, are you okay? Are you  _ hurt? Wakko, are you okay?”  _

There was a terrifying pause, lasting far too long, and Yakko started to cry, pressing against the wall. Finally, Wakko said, “‘m okay. Is Dot there?” 

“N-no! She was a bit away from us, she must’ve fallen somewhere else. I’ll get you outta there, and we’ll find her…” 

“Just… where  _ are  _ we?” 

Through his tears, Yakko pressed against the stone, and glanced around, now that his eyes were a little more adjusted. He glanced up, seeing a small crack in the rock, letting the slightest of light filter through. The way it edged across the ceiling, up and down, he could have a guess as to where they were. 

“We’re in the mountain.” 

“What?” 

“When the… when the castle fell, we- the rocks must’ve- must’ve broken through the mountaintop. We’re inside- it looks like there’s some kind of cavern here. Hold up.” 

Yakko stood and began trailing the wall with his hand, blinking in the dim light to try to see better. He could hear Wakko shuffling behind the fallen rocks, and his heart ached while he kept moving.  _ It’s your fault, it’s your fault, it’s your fault, it’s your…  _

“I found a tunnel out.” he eventually announced, when his hand met a bend in the wall. “I’ll get you out of there, and then we’ll… you’ll… I’ll…” 

He couldn’t just go with Wakko. He couldn’t go with him, he was dangerous. 

_ I CAN’T!  _

He’d almost killed him  _ again!  _

Yakko sunk against the fallen rocks, curling up and burying his head in his legs. He heard another shuffle. “Yakko? You alright?” 

“I- I…” Yakko shut his eyes.  _ You’re fine, you’re fine, conceal, don’t feel, don’t let it show…  _

“Yakko? Are you  _ okay?”  _

Yakko’s voice finally broke, as he admitted, for the first time in ten years,  _ “No.”  _

He burst into tears again, as frost spread across his side of the cavern. He hugged himself, struggling to stop, to make himself  _ calm down.  _

“Yakko…” 

“It’s my fault! It’s my fault-” 

“Stop saying that.” 

“There’s a snowstorm, it’s  _ everywhere!  _ I cursed everyone! I- I should keep running, I should get farther-” 

_ “No!”  _

“What am I supposed to  _ do?”  _ Yakko screamed, pounding his fist on the ground, tears springing to his eyes. “I can’t do  _ anything!  _ I thought I’d be fine up in the mountains but even that couldn’t last! What if this gets worse… what if it just gets worse as long as I’m alive?” 

“Don’t say that!” 

“Will it stop if I die?” Yakko stared down at his shaking hands. “Or- or what if it gets worse, because nobody can control it- as if I could control it at all! I can’t do anything! I got upset and set off  _ again-”  _

“Yakko, you’re scaring me, stop saying this stuff.” 

_ “I could have killed you again!  _ That’s  _ exactly  _ what happened when I… when you…  _ I almost killed you and I could’ve done it again if Dot hadn’t…  _ and now she’s  _ who _ knows where and we’re down here and what happens if we’re  _ stuck  _ and  _ die _ and it’s  _ because of me-”  _

“Maybe it  _ is!”  _

Yakko immediately froze over in shock, eyes wide.

“M-maybe it is your fault.” Wakko said. “Or maybe it’s  _ not.  _ Maybe you weren’t to blame cause you were  _ five,  _ or maybe you are because you were. Maybe it’s that dead King’s fault, or Mum and Daddoo’s, or the lady who took Dot, or  _ mine.  _ Or maybe it was all just weird stuff that happened and it’s  _ nobody’s  _ fault. It doesn’t  _ matter  _ now.” 

“Wakko…” 

“What happened in the past doesn’t matter. We gotta just keep moving on. Find the next problem and fix it. Our next problem is this stone wall keeping me back here. So  _ help me fix it.”  _

Yakko shook, hugging himself tighter. “It’s different for you, Wakko. You’re not cursed.” 

“You’re not either.” 

“You know the Zhan Tiri legends. The snowstorm-” 

“Of course I remember.” 

“So how do you know I’m not cursed?” 

“Because I know  _ you.  _ And if someone tried to curse you, you’d just turn it right back around on them. Use it to your advantage. Like the way you can just snark back at anyone being rude to you. It’s only a curse if you let it be. And…” there was a pause, a bit long. “I think your magic’s pretty cool.” 

Yakko blinked, and then said, “Pun intended?” 

It took Wakko a second to realize what he meant. “Oh,  _ Spielberg!  _ I didn’t even- I hate you so much.” 

Yakko laughed. “Love you, too, lil bro.” he blinked away tears, and turned towards the rocks, putting a paw against them. “When’d you get so smart?” 

“Sometime outside your door.” 

Yakko’s face fell again. “I’m sorry about that.” 

“I’m sorry about it, too.” 

“I just didn’t want to hurt anyone again. Guess that backfired.” 

“...did Mum and Daddoo make you stay there?” 

“Oh, no! No. I… I don’t think they knew what to do with me, honestly. Even before the…” 

“Before they were sad?” 

“Yeah.” 

“You remember when they weren’t sad?” 

“Do… do you not?” 

Wakko was silent again. 

“Oh my God.” Yakko started to cry again. “It’s my fault…” 

“What did I  _ just  _ say?” 

Yakko hugged himself tighter. “I  _ know _ what you just said. I… I just…” he held open his palm, watching a snowflake form and glisten, creating a bit of a light. “I’ve been hiding for so long. Because I can’t stop feeling like it’s my fault. Because I’m a monster.” 

“You’re  _ not _ a monster.” 

“Then what  _ am _ I?” 

He heard a rustle, and then the sound of Wakko pressing his paws against the stone, as if to reach him. 

“You’re Yakko.” 

Yakko cried harder, but not for a bad reason. He pressed his paws against the stone as well, and said, “I love you, Wakko. I love you so much, don’t you ever forget that.” 

“So long as you don’t forget,  _ ever _ again, that we love you just as much.” 

Yakko sniffed, rubbing his nose on his sleeve. “What if… what if I hurt you again? Or Dot? Or  _ anyone?”  _

“Then we’ll take that risk. Cause you’re worth it.” 

Now full-on sobbing, Yakko leaned against the rock wall, wanting to reach his brother. He just wanted to grab him and hug him close and never let go again, never close the door on him or Dot ever, ever again. 

But he wouldn’t be able to unless he could move those stones. 

Slowly, he got to his feet, backing up. He nearly slipped on the ice that had formed earlier, and let out a cry.

“Yakko!” 

“I’m okay, I just slipped!” Yakko assured him, still wiping his eyes. “Bit of an innate hazard of winter magic.” 

There was another pause from Wakko’s side, and then he said, “Yakko, do you think you can make the rocks slip?” 

Yakko considered. “I… I can try? Get in the corner of your little area, in case the rocks fall towards you.” 

“Got it.” 

He took a deep breath, stepping back slightly and staring at the bottom of the rocks. He glanced down at his hands, clenched into fists. 

_ Just try to remember how you felt when you made the ice palace. When you felt free, and your magic wasn’t hard to control.  _

_ Focus on that feeling.  _

_ And focus on the fact we  _ have _ to save Wakko.  _

He gave himself another breath, one last sigh, and then he stretched out his hands. 

Frost began to form, spreading across the floor and creeping under the rocks. It edged between each stone, and as it continued stretching on, it began to glow, shining a bright blue light onto the cracked cavern floor below. Yakko stepped forward, staring fixedly at the light so he didn’t think about everything that could go wrong. 

“I can see stuff! I think it’s working!” Wakko called. 

A stone from the top of the pile slipped, dropping over towards Wakko. Yakko flinched. “I think it’s going to fall towards you! Ready to dodge?” 

“Abso-tively posi-tutely!” 

Yakko laughed, and the frost sped up, rushing across the stone, swirling into intricate designs just barely big enough to see. For a moment, Yakko felt a bit of panic, wondering if it would be more dangerous if it was moving faster. Then he heard Wakko humming behind the stone wall, excitedly hopping from one place to a safer one. 

_ You’re not a monster. You’re Yakko.  _

He wiped his tears one last time, and moved closer. More frost appeared with each step, with each wave of the hand, and stones began to topple, towards his side as well as his brother’s. But when a rock came dangerously close, he simply threw up a paw, blasting it into pieces with a shot of ice. 

“It’s working! Yakko, it’s working!” 

His brother’s voice sounded clearer now. Yakko smiled, and felt a rush of joy inside him. He let out a holler, and the frost glowed brighter, shining around him, illuminating the room. 

“Yes, Yakko! Do it!  _ Do the magic!”  _

Yakko cheered and laughed, leaping into the air, and then pressed his paw against the stone again. Ice spread across it, sneaking into the cracks, and they began to slip faster. Of course, they’d have to be careful not to get crushed… but it didn’t matter now. He felt like he could handle anything. 

_ You’re Yakko.  _

Just as the rocks began to tumble faster, he heard a distant call. He stopped a moment, perking up his ear, straining to listen over the sound of the pile beginning to topple.

_ Ah-ah, ah-ah!  _

Yakko blinked. That call- it sounded like it was close. In the tunnels? Why would someone sing a herding call in the middle of a mountain? No, no, he should worry about that later, he needed to focus- 

_ Ah-ah, ah-ah!  _

It sounded even closer now. And though he couldn’t see anyone calling, Yakko suddenly felt a peace overcome him. 

Like the voice wanted to help. 

“Yakko, it’s slowing down, are you-?” 

Yakko turned back, and then said, “Cover your head, I think it’s about to fall.” 

He heard Wakko back up into the wall, and then he himself stepped a bit away, held out his hands, and sang. 

_ “Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah!”  _

Ice burst up, encasing each and every rock that stood between him and his brother. It remained still for a moment, as if it itself was confused as to what it was supposed to do, but it quickly figured that out. With a  _ flash,  _ the stones each exploded into a flurry of ice shavings, falling to the ground like confetti. 

Yakko wasted no more time. He pushed through, ignoring the sharp remains bouncing off his fur, before sliding to a stop once he could see in front of him. 

Wakko looked up from against a stone wall, pulling his hat up; he’d been using it to shield his eyes, looked like. He spotted his brother, emerging from amongst the ice, and he immediately brightened, straightening up, his tail wagging a mile a minute and a smile bursting across his face. 

“You  _ did it!”  _

“Wakko!” Yakko ran to him, and before he could think, he’d lifted his brother in a tight embrace, spinning them around the room. Wakko laughed, throwing his arms up with glee, and then Yakko dropped him onto the ground and rubbed their noses together, still laughing and feeling lighter than he ever had. 

When they finally settled down, Yakko opened his eyes, giving his brother a soft grin. Wakko looked back up at him, his tail still wagging, and he said, “I knew you could do it.” 

“I… I didn’t think I…” Yakko looked down at his hands, then back up at his brother. 

“See? Not a curse.” 

He opened his mouth to respond again, only for the call to sound again, from a distance away. 

_ Ah-ah, ah-ah.  _

“Wakko, do you…” Yakko glanced to the tunnel up ahead. “Do you hear anything?” 

“I hear you!” 

“I thought I… let’s get out of here, yeah?” 

“Yeah!”

Yakko smiled, holding his brother’s hand as they stepped over rubble, heading over to the tunnel entrance, ready to finally break free. 

“We better go pick up our sister.” Yakko said. “She can’t be far, but that girl’s gonna be  _ lost  _ without us.” 

“Oh, definitely! Let’s go get Dot, and then stop the storm, and then everything will be-” 

Wakko cut himself off, hissing slightly and stumbling back, his hand slipping from his brother’s. Yakko turned, confused, as Wakko put a hand to his stomach. 

“Wh- you said you were okay!” 

“I am, I am, I just…” Wakko shook his head, confused. “Ugh. Must’ve sprained something when I fell. Every now and again my chest just feels  _ real _ cold.” 

Yakko stopped breathing, for a good, long minute. 

“Did I say something wrong?” Wakko asked, looking up in confusion. “I promise it’s fine, it doesn’t hurt-” 

Yakko raced over to him, beginning to tremble again, and before Wakko could say anything else, he pulled his sweater up, staring down at his chest. 

Spreading from his little brother’s heart was a shining, white patch of fur. 

“Oh, that’s not good.” Wakko observed, as Yakko let out a cry. 


	39. The Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REALLY sorry to tell y'all this, but I won't be able to update tomorrow! I have an important class, super sorry about this! Good news is I'll be able to write ahead a bit more.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE - THE SONG**

When the castle collapsed, and Dot began to tumble to the ground, to her surprise, her hair immediately wrapped around her, as if it could think for itself, and she found herself encased in her own fur, the sounds of the destruction muffled around her. She froze with fear as she felt herself fall, and then land, with a  _ thud,  _ against the cliffside; she could hear it shoot up around her, hard rock, and then another. She bounced off several stones, vaguely feeling like some kind of pinball, for quite a while. When she finally landed, it took her a minute to readjust- slapping the side of her head to stop that dizzy feeling and making sure the ground was actually stable under her. Once she was certain she’d stopped her descent, she let out a relieved sigh, and her hair unwound itself from around her, dropping to the cave floor. 

She got to her feet, squinting in the dim light. She was about halfway through some kind of tunnel; when she looked up, she could see a dim crack of light. She’d fallen quite a ways, that crack was probably whatever hole she’d slipped through. Whatever, it didn’t matter how she got here- what mattered was that she was currently alone. 

“Yakko! Wakko!” she called out. 

No response.  _ Dangit!  _

“I can’t see a  _ stupid  _ thing!” Dot muttered. She stepped forward, tripped over her own fur, and then said, “Oh! Yeah, right!” 

_ “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine…”  _

Once her hair lit, she gathered it up in her arms; the beads had fallen sometime during the palace destruction, so she’d just have to hold it in a clump for the time being. Maybe when she found her brothers, they could figure out how Mindy and her friends had braided it. 

So long as her brothers didn’t disappear on her. 

Yakko had looked  _ so _ scared. Like all his nightmares had come true at once. 

Which, she supposed, they had. 

As she wandered the cavern, straining to listen for signs of her brothers, she tried to process everything that had just happened. Her mind still swirled with new information- Yakko’s magic kickstarted everything, apparently. The Ticktockian King’s death, not that she knew much about that anyway. Wakko’s hair. Mother’s illness… which resulted in her. 

She didn’t for one second blame Yakko for this, of course; the thought didn’t even cross her mind. What her mind did wander to was how linked their fates seemed to be now. Her magic had existed long before her family had, but Yakko’s powers had given it to her. And then she was the one who caused Yakko to reveal  _ his _ magic to the Kingdom- this storm was more her fault than his. 

Dot ran her fingers through the fur she had bunched up in her arms, and wondered if there was a similar source of their magic, one that drew them together, or if it was just a weird coincidence. How much magic was in this world, anyway? She had the powers of the sun, and Yakko had  _ ice… _ was that the moon? Was he the moon to her sun? Or was he something else entirely? Was  _ she _ something else entirely? Which one of them was the weird one now? 

She had to sing every few minutes to re-light her hair, so that song was going to be stuck in her head forever, then. Not as if it had been her whole life- wow, she went  _ months _ without singing this crap, and here she was repeating it over and over. She’d been doing it since she was a baby, and at this point, even if she went years without so much as hearing a hint of it, she felt she’d be able to recite it at the drop of a hat. 

_ Heal what has been hurt, change the fate’s design…  _

“Change the fate’s design?” What fate was her hair supposed to change? If anything, this fur had become her entire life; she was taken from her home because of it, and now it was back and causing problems once again. 

Though, it wasn’t causing  _ just  _ problems. It did just apparently save her from a hundred-or-so-foot drop, so that was nice; if she lost the healing power, she was glad she apparently had shock absorption powers now. And she still liked to swing; she’d been able to reach the roof of her room and paint to her heart’s delight. She liked being able to wrap herself and Wakko up in the fur like a blanket, and she liked the glow, even if it came with bad memories. 

Maybe her fur was back for a reason. Maybe it wasn’t an accident that those black rocks brought it back to her, not that the rocks stopped her from being struck. She glanced up again, though now she only saw the ceiling of the cavern; maybe the rocks hadn’t meant to hurt her at all. Maybe they were looking for her instead. When she got out of here, she should check. Maybe go over to them, see what they wanted. If the suggestion of such an action didn’t immediately send Yakko into another panic attack, that might be a good idea. 

Heck. Those rocks had saved her, maybe they could save Yakko, too. It had brought her magic back- what if it was to help her brother? What if she could heal him, even without magic? 

She hoped so, so much that she was right in that assumption. Because she wanted her brother back. Back before he became afraid again, like when they’d danced in the town square. She’d gone without her family for so long, she wasn’t going to lose them again. 

_ Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine…  _

_ “What once was mine…”  _

She hugged her fur to herself as she finished the song once again, hearing her voice echo across the caves. 

And then, as her own voice faded, she heard something else. 

She paused, perking her ears up as high as they would go. It sounded like someone else was singing. Someone… 

_ “Ah-ah, ah-ah!”  _

She blinked, confused, and then stepped closer to the noise, barely noticing her fur dim. She listened closer. 

_ “Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah!”  _

It was echoey, but… familiar. 

_ “Ah-ah, ah-ah!”  _

Dot took off running, following the sound of the voice, letting her glow fade completely as she relied entirely on her hearing to guide her. She raced from tunnel to tunnel, choosing forking paths based on which one made the song sound louder. 

_ “Ah-ah, ah-ah!”  _

She turned another bend, and suddenly there was less echo, and she could hear it more clearly. And she realized who the voice belonged to. 

“Come on! Come on, hear me!  _ Ah-ah, ah-ah!”  _

Dot opened her mouth, and sung back, as loud as she could,  _ “Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah!”  _

To her surprise, as she sang, her fur suddenly burst into a bright, white glow. She froze, blinded by the shine coming from the fur bundled in her arms, so she quickly dropped it to the ground, blinking. She glanced down, and for a moment, she was shining just like Yakko, a brilliant white. 

The color faded, but what didn’t fade was the distant call. 

_ “Dot?”  _

“I’m here! I’m  _ here!”  _ she called. “Yakko, sing again, I heard you!” 

“Dot!  _ Dot!”  _

Dot started running, letting her fur fly behind her, and Yakko sang the notes again. She sang back, and once again felt her fur turn a shocking white- now that she wasn’t as surprised, she realized that it gave her a chill as it coursed through her body. She paused for a second, shivering, and for a moment she felt like her eyes had flashed white. But then the glow faded again, and she could hear pounding footsteps, just a little away from her. She pushed herself, singing,  _ “Heal what has been hurt, change the fate’s design… Yakko!”  _

_ “Angie!”  _

Yakko burst from around the corner just as her fur glowed again, and in his arms was Wakko, curled up against him but looking ahead with excitement. The second they saw Dot, grins burst across their faces, and she ran to them, throwing her arms around them and tackling her brothers to the ground. Wakko laughed, while Yakko shouted in shock, but Dot kept embracing them, laughing. 

“Whoa, we  _ really  _ messed up this time, didn’t we?” she said, eventually pulling away and ruffling Wakko’s hat. “We fell into a  _ mountain!”  _

“Uh, Dot-” Wakko began. 

Dot turned to Yakko, who sat up, and she grabbed onto him in a side-hug. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry, I think the rocks were chasing me-” 

“Are  _ you  _ okay?” Yakko asked, pulling her away to check her over, terror across his face. “You’re not hurt?” 

“No! Looks like my hair’s a shock absorber when I don’t have it in a ponytail, so that’s good to know.” Dot shrugged. “Speaking of which, I have to carry all this now- I mean, I guess I could let it dangle, but it would get stuck in rocks- that’s not the point!” she reached out, surprising him by grabbing his hands. “The point is that you don’t need to freak out, cause we’re here and we’re gonna help you-” 

“Um, actually, I  _ do _ need to freak out.” Yakko said. “Because on top of all that stuff, we,  _ uuuuuuhhhh,  _ we have a new problem!” 

“What ‘new problem’?” 

“It’s not that bad!” Wakko said. 

Yakko gave him an incredulous look, and then pulled up his sweater, showing Dot the white fur that spread across his chest; it was practically filling it. 

“Holy Spielberg, what  _ happened?”  _

“This is  _ exactly  _ what happened to Mom.” Yakko said, his voice shaking. “But it’s moving faster. Mom was sick for weeks, the white’s spreading way faster on Wakko- it might be the fact I’m not an inexperienced four-year-old anymore, or the fact he’s, like, way smaller than Mom was, but-” 

“Really, it doesn’t hurt that much.” Wakko said. “I think I can walk this time, just help me up-” 

“Dot.” Yakko turned to her with pleading eyes. “Are you absolutely  _ sure _ your hair can’t heal anymore?” 

“I- I think so.” Dot said. She was staring at Wakko, and after a moment, she rushed forward and pulled up his hat. Yakko gasped as they saw, underneath, that his streak was now hidden by a full section of albino fur. 

Wakko pulled his hat back down. “What? Is it bad?” 

Yakko responded by picking him up again, holding him close to his chest. “Dot?” 

“How do we fix it?” 

“I don’t  _ know!”  _ Yakko said. “I don’t… the  _ only  _ thing that fixed Mom was the sundrop.” 

“There’s gotta be…” Dot shook her head, before lifting up her fur and pressing it against Wakko’s.  _ “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine…”  _

Her hair lit up, but Wakko’s remained white. 

“No, no, no…” Dot shook slightly, and then looked up at Yakko. “We’ve gotta be able to find something.” 

“Yakko did have an idea!” Wakko said helpfully. “He was following the voices in his head.” 

“He was  _ what?”  _

_ “Wakko!”  _

“He said he’s been hearing that weird call you heard him sing earlier.” Wakko shrugged. “And he was following it.” 

“You’re following the voices you hear in your head?” Dot reiterated. 

“Do you have a better idea? Cause at least I feel like the voice wants to help.” 

“The voice in your head.” 

“Quit saying that!” Yakko then paused, his ears flicking, and he said, “Can you hear it now?” 

Dot glanced to Wakko, and then back up Yakko. “I don’t mean to poke fun at you when you just had a breakdown, but how hard did you hit your head when you landed?” 

Yakko shook his head. “We need to keep going. It’s this or wander the tunnels aimlessly.” 

“That sounds like fun!” 

“Not when you’re  _ dying, Wakko!”  _

“Hey!” Wakko crossed his arms in a huff. “I already said if you get upset about that and blame yourself, I’m going to eat your spleen.” 

He then flinched, gasping, and Dot could see a bit of white appear under his sweater. 

“Alright, I vote voices.” Dot said, before gathering up her hair again. “I’ll light the way.” 

Yakko nodded, and then called out the song again.  _ “Ah-ah, ah-ah!”  _ He listened, and then cocked his head to the side. “This way. Let’s move.” 

He started to run again, and Dot picked up speed, keeping up with him and remaining just a little behind. She sang under her breath, letting her fur glow and light their way as they raced down the tunnels. Yakko kept a tight hold on his little brother, straining to hear the mysterious call and directing Dot on where to head. As they slid down slopes and pushed through narrow paths, Dot kept her eyes locked on Wakko. It seemed like the white fur was spreading even as they ran; poking out from beneath his hat, edging out from under his sweater. She shivered every now and again, and would put his arms around Yakko’s neck to regain his own balance; the longer this went on, the more his strength seemed sapped away. 

A dread began creeping on her, one she hadn’t felt before. The dread that she was going to lose someone, but slowly. The only other time she’d felt this way, she was sobbing and holding her dying mice fathers in her tower, and that had happened so,  _ so  _ fast. Here, she could see Wakko start to get more and more tired, more and more weak, more and more  _ cold.  _ And she could do  _ nothing-  _ she didn’t have healing magic anymore. She didn’t have their easy reset button, and now her brother was dying. 

Was this how terrified Yakko felt all the time? Remembering how their mother had almost died, growing worse day by day? The thought made her want to cry, she didn’t want to feel like this for another  _ minute,  _ and she never wanted her nor Yakko to feel it ever again. But she couldn’t cry now, not when her brothers needed her; so she kept singing, holding her fur up to her chest, and racing after her brothers. 

They kept running, following this mysterious voice, for a long while; with no way to tell time down there, Dot had no way of knowing how long they actually moved, pressing on despite their aching feet and heavy eyelids. Wakko snuggled against Yakko’s chest, looking about ready to pass out, but Yakko kept muttering to stay awake, do  _ not _ go to sleep, just stay with us,  _ please. Stay with us.  _

When Yakko eventually slid to a stop, perking up his ears to try and hear if the voice was nearby. Dot slid beside him, reaching up her hand to feel Wakko’s forehead. She flinched at how cold he already was, and she glanced up at their older brother. “He doesn’t feel good.” 

“I know.” Yakko shivered. “I don’t hear the voice right now, I… hold up.” 

“What is it?” 

Yakko stomped on the ground beneath them. “This doesn’t feel solid. Do you smell smoke?” 

“Maybe a little. Do you-  _ oh sh-!”  _

The floor collapsed beneath them, unused to the weight of someone standing on it, but thankfully, the children didn’t fall far, and in just a second, they’d fallen onto what seemed to be the top of a long stairwell. Dot groaned, while Yakko muttered something about never wanting to drop off anything ever again; she turned, seeing that he’d managed to readjust himself while falling so that Wakko landed on his stomach instead of the ground. 

Dot managed to pull herself to her feet, as her hair fell over the stairwell. She squinted i the firelight, and said, “What in the name of all that is holy is  _ that  _ thing?” 

Yakko glanced up, staring slack-jawed. “Giant pez dispenser?” 

“Big wheel!” Wakko suggested. 

It was about then that they heard a clang from below them, and they looked down the stairs, to see, on the floor by the machine, an exasperated Brain staring up at them. 

“Oh, you have  _ got  _ to be kidding me!” 


	40. Fixing the Machine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND we back!

**CHAPTER FORTY - FIXING THE MACHINE**

It took Yakko and Dot a little bit to get down the stairs, as they both ended up having to support Wakko while they walked. But once they reached the landing, Rita quickly raced over, rubbing herself between Dot’s legs in her version of a hug, and Pinky quickly jumped and clung to her leg. 

“What are you guys  _ doing  _ here?” Dot asked, confused. 

“What are  _ you _ doing  _ here?”  _ Brain asked. “We had to traverse the tunnels for what must have been a full day to reach this place.” 

“This is the castle tunnels?” Wakko asked, confused, his eyes looking heavy. 

“Where  _ else _ would we be?” 

“This is the mountains.” Dot said. “We literally just crashed through the top of the North Mountain.” 

_ “Egad,  _ Brain!” Pinky cried, still clinging to Dot. “We walked all the way to the  _ mountains!” _

“Oh, well  _ that’s  _ just splendid.” Brain sighed. 

“We went down a couple slopes, we might’ve come to you.” Dot suggested. 

“I’m sure it’s no matter-” Brain then looked back up at the siblings, did a double take, and yelled, “Oh! Yakko!” 

“Hey.” Yakko waved. 

“Oh, look!” Pinky said. “He  _ is _ white all over. You look very nice, Yakko!” 

“Thanks.” Yakko said, before pulling Wakko closer to him, glancing down and wondering if he should pick him up again. 

“So.” Rita said, sitting and staring up at him. “We gonna talk about the whole ‘freezing the kingdom’ thing or are we past that?” 

Yakko blinked.  _ “Uuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh…”  _

“We’ll get to that.” Dot waved her hand. “Is this the Dominican Device?” 

_ “Demanitus  _ Device.” Brain corrected. 

“The  _ what?”  _ Yakko said. 

“We believe so.” Brain said cautiously. “It’s in good condition for its age, but still needed some adjustments, so long as its purpose is as expected.”

“You mean the purpose of tossing a snowstorm out to sea?” 

“Precisely. I’ve spent the last several hours memorizing the mechanics-” 

“Brain and I climbed inside and I made a jungle gym out of the gears!” 

“And then I had to fix that. We’ve been clearing dust and other debris, and it should be operational soon. We’ll need to somehow get to the top of the machine-” 

“Thirty feet of hair.” 

“Oh, yes, that’ll be useful.” 

“Hold up.” Yakko held up his hands to quiet them. “You said you walked a  _ day _ to get here?” 

“Think so.” Rita shrugged. 

“We don’t  _ have _ a day!” Yakko said, and then he indeed lifted up Wakko, holding him close. “We need to find something for Wakko, like,  _ now.”  _

“What’s wrong with Wakko?” Pinky asked. 

“He needs  _ help!”  _

“I kinda got frozen by Yakko’s breakdown magic.” Wakko explained cheerily. 

“By his  _ what?”  _

“It was an accident.” Wakko shrugged. “And also, he warned us, like, a million times, so this one’s on me.” 

“Wakko,” Dot said, clapping her hands together, “How can you be so calm?” 

“I guess I’m just tired. Can I sleep now?” 

_ “No.”  _ Yakko said. 

“Can I sleep later?” 

_ “Wakko!”  _

“If that device sends Yakko’s blizzard away,” Dot asked, pointing up, “Do you think it’d take that frozen curse along with it?” 

“Probably not.” Brain said. “It seems built simply to draw away the storm itself, not its cause or-” 

“But we  _ do _ think,” Rita interrupted, “That it might open up some kind of hole in the mountain, in order to fully affect the outside.” 

“That could be or ticket out.” Yakko said. “If we can’t get Wakko out of these tunnels any other way, we gotta at least try it. Anything else we need to know?” 

“Well, Buttons and Runt are down a level.” Rita said, gesturing at the stairwell. “There’s a bunch of wires under there and we needed Runt to chew through one. None of us have had any food in about twenty-four hours so I’m this close to eating your dads. Oh, they also found some weird cryptic symbols in a book under the machine. And this thing gets  _ loud  _ when we try to push the wheels.” 

“They’re not  _ weird cryptic symbols!”  _ Brain said, offended. “It’s an ancient language. Give me another few minutes and I can have it translated-” 

“Old language translation later.” Yakko said. “Fix machine  _ now.  _ What else needs to be done?” 

Brain considered. “Rita, get the dogs back up here. Dot, I’m going to need you to take Pinky and I up to the top, to inspect it fully. Yakko, keep Wakko from eating anything important. And please refrain from turning anything to ice.” 

“I’m doing my  _ best.”  _ Yakko said, trembling. 

Dot began to swing her hair. “Yakko really is trying, Brain, and he’s only  _ kinda _ cracked. But in all seriousness, we gotta work fast. Put Wakko somewhere safe, don’t go chasing after voices, and…” 

She paused, giving herself a moment to breathe, and then she threw herself at her brothers, hugging them close to her. 

_ “Don’t die on me.”  _

Yakko held her close, and when she pulled away, he rubbed their noses together. “We’ll do our best.” 

Dot swung Pinky and the Brain up as high as she could go, and he did routine maintenance on the machine while she attempted to find an exit up there; occasionally, she would swing down with instructions from Brain for the rest of the team, and Buttons, Runt, Rita or Yakko would rush to a part of the machine to make some kind of adjustment. 

After she came down to tell them that Brain needed them to turn the wheel a few inches, Wakko stood, pulling his sweater sleeves down, and said, “Lemme do it!” 

“No, no.” Yakko said quickly. “Stay put and rest.” 

“But I can help! I want to help!” 

“Stay there, we can-” 

“No, no, let me-” Wakko raced forwards, grabbing the wheel and trying to push it to the side. Before he could, however, he let out a gasp and staggered back. The white fur spread across his face as he struggled to breathe, and Yakko quickly raced behind him, holding him up so he didn’t fall to the floor as his knees buckled. Concerned, Runt quickly ran over and pushed against his legs to try and help him stand better. 

“Wakko, go lie down.” 

“I want to help…” 

“Help us by not straining yourself. We need to delay- we need to- we just need you to stay as safe as possible until we can figure something out.” 

“I… I…” Wakko blinked away tears. “Can’t I do  _ anything?”  _

Yakko glanced down to Runt, who shrugged, before turning back towards Rita and Buttons, who were pushing the wheel. “Just wait this one out, okay?” 

“I…” 

“Buddy, you’re already almost completely white. It’s moving fast, we’re doing the best we can…” Yakko bit back a sob. “I’m… I’m sorry…” 

Wakko shook his head and tried to speak, only to flinch back again. Yakko glanced back at Rita and Buttons, and then he picked up Wakko, hugging him close. 

“It’s okay, Wakk. It’s okay. I got you.” 

Wakko tried very hard not to cry as Yakko seated him against the stone wall, grabbing some light fabric from Brain’s wagon to wrap around his shoulders. “Do you need anything else? I made my own outfit, I bet I could whip something up for you-” Wakko shook his head, blinking back tears. Yakko gave him a soft kiss on the forehead, rubbing his cheek fur, and said again, “I’m so sorry. We’re gonna fix this.” 

“I wanna…” 

“Please, just stay put. We’re cleaning up my mess.” 

“Don’t-” 

_ “Yakko!”  _ Dot swung down, calling for her older brother. “We need you to make us a gear outta ice! Can you do that?” 

“I… think so?” 

“Then get your butt over here and  _ do it!”  _

Yakko nodded, gave Wakko another fur ruffle, and then raced over to Dot. She grabbed his waist and lifted him back up with her. Wakko glanced to the side; Buttons and Runt were helping Rita up higher to clean out a hole in the pole. Brain and Pinky were up there. And there went Dot and Yakko, leaving him alone. 

Wakko hugged himself, burying his face in his lap. He felt so  _ tired,  _ and his arms arched, and he couldn’t make himself feel warm no matter what he did, and it  _ sucked.  _ He stuck out his tongue, which had been feeling numb for a while, and tried to rub his legs to spark some kind of heat. It just made his arms hurt more, and suddenly his elbows were sore and he could only lean back against the wall and whimper, which hurt, too, because his throat just felt  _ clogged up. _ His ears flopped down, suddenly too heavy to stay sticking up, and Wakko curled up more against the cavern wall, trying to at least get comfortable. But it was too bumpy, and every ridge of rock that touched him felt like it was stabbing him in the side. 

He hugged himself more, and tried to hum something- that lullaby Daddoo used to sing to him, when he was sick. He’d rarely been sick as a kid, but he always liked when he was, because it meant his parents would hang out with him a ton. They got a bit  _ smothering  _ at times, true, but it was better than when they were away being too depressed to do much. He always liked when his Mum would sit beside him in bed, brushing his fur for him and asking if he’d taken the right medicine that morning, and then smuggling him extra treats “to get your spirits up,” and then picking him up and spinning him around the room, saying that yes, he should rest, but he should also give himself a spark of energy now and again. He loved, too, when his Daddoo would come in with an extra blanket, and lift him onto his lap and pick out a book he’d been meaning to read to him, and give funny voices to each character and hug his son whenever a scary part would happen, and Wakko would lie back on him and let himself purr, and when the book was done Daddoo would sing him to sleep. 

But when he tried to purr or hum or sing now, his throat just felt clogged, and his eyes were heavy and cold, and he couldn’t bounce around and spin anymore, he could barely even sit up. Because he was being useless  _ again. _

He shivered again as Dot began yelling orders to the dogs and cat, and suddenly her voice just sounded so  _ loud.  _ He tugged on his ears, but it took him a second to even get a grip on them; his fingers just kept slipping over everything. He eventually released his ears and tried to lie on the floor, but it was just as piercing; but when he tried to stand, his tail flopped, and it suddenly felt like it weighed a ton. Wakko laid back down and whimpered, putting his hands over his heart. That spot was the coldest, and every time there was another flash of pain and the white fur would spread farther, he remembered being in Yakko’s ice castle, watching his brother explode like that, and then suddenly feeling what felt like ice stabbing him through the chest. 

And now it felt like the ice was still stabbing him, everywhere, and it wouldn’t  _ leave.  _

He heard Yakko say something in the distance, and he blinked his eyes open, blearily seeing his brother and sister swinging down, grabbing some pliers from Rita to bring back up. Yakko told him not to go to sleep, right? Maybe he shouldn’t be laying down. But he didn’t know what else to  _ do. _

He shakily sat up, staring at the ceiling, and tried to lean against the rocks again. It hadn’t felt this bad when he was climbing the cliff with Dot. That felt like forever ago. Was it really just a few hours? He swallowed a cry and then flinched- why did his throat hurt so much? He hadn’t eaten in a while- maybe that was it. Dot had said that, too- maybe he just got upset when he hadn’t eaten in a while. He glanced around, trying to see if there were spare rocks lying around; he thought he remembered something about rocks settling stomachs, and that would help quite a lot. He didn’t see any, though, so he instead glanced to Brain’s wagon. Maybe there was something over there? 

He managed to crawl over to the wagon, wrapping the fabric around himself like a shawl. Once he reached it, he started digging around, looking for something edible- or, at least, something they wouldn’t be likely to need in the next few moments. He pushed aside the toolbox- they’d need that stuff, definitely- and the matchbox, which he assumed wouldn’t taste good. He found the bits of fabric that Yakko had pulled from, and began moving them closer to him. Maybe they wouldn’t miss this? 

As he moved the fabric, though, he blinked as a book fell from inbetween the folded items, and he reached forward and pulled it up, though it took him a few tries to grip the dusty binding. He ran a hand over the weird symbol on the cover, wondering why there was a book in the wagon, did Brain just want some light reading? Oh, wait, he mentioned something about an old book they found… was this it? He flipped it open, seeing weird markings instead of letters; yes, this must be it. 

Maybe he could work on this for Brain. Give him something to do. So he wasn’t just over being useless in the corner, like always. 

Wakko carefully put his fingers between the pages, trying to get enough of a grip to flip them. He could already see some scraps of paper from Brain, notes on the translation. It was amazing how he’d been able to work on this while directing everyone on the machine, really, and on top of that, he must be analyzing the rest of the book, there were little sketches here or there, and they were very pretty, really, even though… though… 

Wakko blinked down at the page he’d flipped to, not noticing the frost on his eyelashes. He was, instead, staring down at the sketches on the edges of the page. 

On one side, what had caught his attention-  _ that was Dot’s sun.  _

He could see the drawing, looking very similar to the Warnerstotck sun symbol, drawn into the corner of the page. And from it, he could see a drop, falling to the ground, and his trailed his finger down to the bottom of the page, following the droplet, and then widening his eyes upon seeing the sketch of his sister’s flower. He wasn’t sure it was entirely accurate, though he’d only seen paintings of what the flower had once looked like before it healed his family; the sketch looked like a guess of what it could be, but it was definitely the sun flower, what with its position under the drop of sun, and the aura drawn around it. He could see other plants growing beneath it, the signs of life springing from the ground around it. 

He glanced around the page, but Brain didn’t seem to have gotten to this portion yet, because there were no notes or scraps. But… that was  _ Dot’s flower.  _ What was it doing here? What did it  _ say?  _

And then his eyes drifted to the other page, the sketch in the other corner. And then he stared at the drawing of a full moon. 

Beneath the moon, another drop, falling from the sky. And at the bottom, on the ground… a stone. It had an aura drawn, too, but it was shaded in, covered in black. And beneath it, a shriveled ground, dying plants, a thick mist… 

And sprouting, sharp, black rocks. 


	41. Wither and Decay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, quick q: I realized that the Tangled S2-3 (and Frozen II) arcs are gonna be LONG, so I'm wondering if y'all would be chill if I put those in a second fic? I know people get antsy when they see long fics and it might be easier to have a two-parter fic for this. However, if y'all want me to just have one long-ass fic, I'm down.

**CHAPTER FORTY-ONE - WITHER AND DECAY**

“Okay!” Dot dropped the mice onto Buttons’s back, and then unhooked her hair from the stone ledge. “That should be everything. We’re gonna start turning the wheel, and it should kickstart the machine.” 

“It didn’t turn much earlier.” Rita said. 

“That was before we repaired its machinery.” Brain said. “If all works according to my projections, the spinning should activate those hanging crystals, which will cause a chain reaction-” 

“And make the snow go _whoosh!”_ Pinky cheered. 

“Dot, maybe you should stay back on this.” Yakko suggested hesitantly. “We don’t want your hair getting caught in the wheel.” 

“I lasted ten years with this hair without putting it up, I can last.” Dot said. “Alright, we’re gonna position ourselves around the wheel to keep it turning until it starts moving on its own. Runt, over there. Buttons and Rita, either side of him so you can make sure he doesn’t screw up.” 

“That’s fair.” Runt nodded, as he started to head in the direction Dot had pointed. “Definitely, definitely fair.” 

“Yakko, over here. Okay, okay, we’re gonna start on three.” 

Yakko edged his way to the wheel, and hesitated before grabbing it, glancing down at his hands. Then, slowly, he gripped the spokes, nodding. Dot took her position, and then began counting. 

“One, four, _three!”_

They each pushed their spokes. And then, after a second, Dot called, “To the _right!_ Turn your side to the _right!”_

“Which way is right?” Runt asked. 

_“Which_ _right, Dot?”_ Rita snapped. “We’re all facing different directions!” 

“Ugh, okay- you’re going towards Runt. Runt, towards Buttons, and so on. Okay?” 

“I’m starting to think we’re bad at this.” Yakko muttered. 

“It took you this long to figure that out?” Brain asked, from his and Pinky’s perch on Buttons’s head. 

“Alright. One, seven, _three!”_

They turned the wheel, this time in the right direction, and kept pushing for a minute or so, with Dot keeping her eyes above them on the machine. The arms began to turn a little bit, the attached orbs slowly, slowly rotating above them. “Something’s moving!” she announced. “Keep going!” 

They kept going, and the arms began to speed up. And then, as Dot watched, the crystals positioned on them began to glow, and spark with some kind of energy. It was almost like a blue lightning, sparking between them, and as the machine sped, some kind of glow began. Dot held up her hands to stop the others, and as the wheel continued to spin on its own, they looked up to see the arms lift to a vaguely level position, and stones began to shine around them, the same light blue sparks flashing across them. More and more stones began to glow, and suddenly a wind picked up. Dot’s hair lifted, and Buttons and Runt quickly leapt, biting down on parts of the hair to keep it from hitting against the machine itself. Yakko quickly raced over, glanced at Dot, and then waved his hands, summoning a long ribbon of ice. 

“Try this for your hair!” he said. He handed it over, then glanced up. “Do we think it’s working?” 

Dot pulled the ribbon back, just as a teal beam of energy burst from atop the machine, shooting high into the ceiling. Dot gasped, staring as something opened on the top of the mountain, which they could only tell because bits of snow began to fall, only to be obliterated by the beam itself. 

_“It’s working!”_ she cheered. _“It’s working!”_

“Dot, watch it!” Rita shouted. Dot turned to see a falling rock drop just a bit beside her hair, the walkway cracking a bit. 

“This place isn’t structurally sound.” Brain said, as he and Pinky held on tight to Buttons’s harness in order to keep from blowing off in the wind. “I don’t think we can exit through the roof, we’ll have to go through the tunnel!” 

“No, no!” Yakko shook his head. “We need to get Wakko out _now!_ We-” He turned, blinked, and then shouted, _“Wakko!”_

He took off running, as the wind slowed just enough to keep them from blowing everywhere. Dot began pushing her hair into a ponytail, and Yakko reached his brother, who had been clinging to Brain’s wagon when the breeze picked up, and was now releasing it and looking up at Yakko in confusion. 

Wakko was now almost completely white; indeed, he looked like a small clone of Yakko, with his fur the same color as the raging snow outside. But the fur didn’t look as natural, as shining as his brother’s; it clung to him, like each strand wished it was long enough to strangle him. His nose was fading into a pink, and his eyes were watery. Even his sweater and hat had faded into paler colors, drooping along with his ears and tail. He looked _awful._

“Wakko, come on.” Yakko said, reaching out to pick up his brother. “Let’s get you to the machine, let’s go-” 

Wakko shook his head, as the rest of the team made their way over. Dot knelt beside him, and he looked to her, before reaching over and picking up a thick, dusty book. 

“Put that _down!”_ Brain shouted. “That’s an ancient artifact!” 

“This is that old book you were talkin’ about?” Dot asked, as Wakko struggled to open it up. 

“We don’t know what it is, but yes, it seems to be some kind of journal.” Brain said. “You shouldn’t be touching it- put it somewhere safe and then proceed to the exit.” 

“Wakko, yeah, it’s not important now, put it away, we need to-” Yakko began. 

Wakko shook his head, and began flipping the pages, tongue stuck out in focus. Brain scampered off of Buttons and onto the top of the wagon, trying to rip the book away. “Put it _back,_ it’s some kind of classical text that should be _preserved._ We don’t want to cause it to decay further!” 

“Hey, don’t yell at him!” Yakko said, snatching the book away from both. 

“Yakko, put it back. We don’t know what ancient knowledge it may hold!” 

“Ancient knowledge?” Yakko scoffed, glancing at the book. “This page is just a recipe for chili dogs. Not that impressive.” 

The room fell deadly silent. Yakko blinked. “What?” 

“How…” Brain said. “How did you know that?” 

“Well it says here.” Yakko shrugged, kneeling down and showing everyone the open book. “It uses some weird words, but it’s not that hard to pick up on. That’s the amount of tomatoes you put in-” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can _read this?”_ Rita asked. 

“Yeah.” Yakko shrugged. “Can’t you?” 

They stared up at him. Then, slowly, Dot said, “No, Yakko. We _cannot_ read ancient unknowable languages. It looks like gibberish to us.” 

Yakko blinked, and then said, “Oh. Oh crud. I… I’m sorry, I…” 

He tried to hand the book to Brain, only for Wakko to grab it again. He began turning the pages much more quickly, and Brain let out a cry that he was going to rip them if he wasn’t careful. Finally, Wakko found the right page, and held it up, showing them all. 

They all stared, and then Dot said, “Is that my _flower?”_

“Definitely.” Runt nodded. “Definitely the magic flower.” 

“I think it looks like a sun.” 

_“Beneath the sun, Pinky.”_

Yakko slowly took the book again, staring down at the sketch of the sun, and then reading over the passage, his eyes racing between the lines. 

“What’s it say?” Dot asked cautiously. 

Yakko didn’t answer a moment, engrossed in the passage. 

“Yakko!” Dot shouted, drawing his attention. “What’s it _say_ about me?” 

“N-not about you, technically. Just the sun magic.” Yakko said. “It’s… it’s the normal stuff, ‘brings life, heals…’ but your song is here.” 

“What?” 

“Here.” Yakko laid the book on the ground, and ran his hands down two paragraphs, separated from the rest of the notes. “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shi- sorry!” 

Her fur began to light at the words. They waited until it dimmed again, and she said, “Why’s my song in this old book?” 

“It seems to be just, like, research notes.” Yakko said. 

“Then what,” Wakko said, in a very shaky and quiet voice, “Is this?” 

He moved his paw to the other page, and they all turned to stare at the drawings of the moon. 

“What in the hell?” Brain muttered. 

“The moon? Is there a moon-me running around?” Dot asked. 

“There’s a drop here.” Yakko pointed out, “And then a stone or something- oh _crap,_ that’s the rocks.” 

“The black rocks?” Dot shook her head. “The rocks are moon magic? Why are they going after me?” 

“Read the moon page, ice boy!” Rita said, gesturing to Yakko. 

Yakko glanced to the top of the page, and then read it aloud. 

_But the sun and moon exist in tandem, and thus balance each other. The sundrop brings life, and so the moondrop brings death and decay. That’s not completely a bad thing- what is life if there isn’t an ending? But this power in the wrong hands can be dangerous, so the stone is protected by the people of my home, Warnerstock’s beloved sister kingdom._

_Tiri and I have been researching its potential properties, and we believe we’ve deciphered its incantation, which can cause its magical destruction to begin._

_Wither and Decay_

_End this destiny_

_Break these earthly chains_

_And set the spirit free…_

Before he could finish reading the incantation, Yakko stopped reading, leaning back and shaking his head. “We don’t have a sister kingdom. Haven’t had a real alliance since our grandparents were killed in the battle with the Elemental Forest.” 

“Alliances change over several thousand years.” Brain said. 

“What’s this about a decay rock?” Rita asked. 

Dot picked up the book, pulling at a strand of her fur. She glanced down at the stone, standing up, and then said, “That just sounds so _grim.”_

“Which part?” Pinky asked. “Cause it all sounded pretty depressing.” 

“Wither and decay, end this destiny.” Dot repeated. “Break these earthly chains, and set the spirit free.” 

“Ooh, yeah, that sounds pretty bad.” 

“Wither and decay…” 

“It doesn’t matter.” Yakko shook his head, and then knelt down and began to lift up Wakko. “We need to get him out of here before the machine turns off or a rock falls on it or something-” 

“End this destiny…” 

“Dot, we get it, you can stop now.” 

“Break these earthly chains.” 

“We _heard that,_ help me get Wakko-” 

“And set the _spirit free.”_

The dirt turned black beneath her paws, and began to spread incredibly quickly. Yakko yelped and lifted Wakko, backing up, while the rocks began to crumble and the walls creaked, turning a dark, horrible gray. 

“Wither and decay, end this destiny…” 

Dot was chanting, her eyes glued to the book, without looking up to see everyone start to fall. An inordinate _tiredness_ overtook first those nearest to her, and then the rest of the room. Even the machine began to slow, its beam flickering. 

“Break these earthly chains, and set the spirit free…” 

Yakko collapsed first, still holding a whimpering Wakko to his chest, gasping for air. Buttons whined and tried to bark, only to find himself unable to make a sound, and Runt dropped onto his stomach, beginning to shake. Brain and Pinky managed to fall into the wagon, and not the decaying ground, but they still suddenly felt a darkness surrounding them, pressing against them, _suffocating._ Frost burst from Yakko’s feet, but even it only spread a few feet before melting, disappearing, _dying._

Rita sputtered and coughed. “Dot! You can stop it now! _Dot!”_

The book fell from Dot’s hands, clattering to the ground, and when she looked up, her face completely blank, they realized that all the light had gone out from her eyes. 

She began to sing, stepping forwards and towards the machine. 

_“Wither and decay. End this destiny…”_

The ice ribbon holding her hair back fell, and her fur burst everywhere, spreading across the room. And, to everyone’s horror, starting from the ends and spreading across to her full body, she once again turned black. But it wasn’t her normal color; it was colder, more empty. Like she was becoming a living black hole. 

_“Break these earthly chains, and set the spirit free…”_

She stepped to the machine, which was somehow still running despite everything else in the room growing dim and tired. Yakko cried, “Dot, come back! Stop it! _Dot!”_

Dot held up her arms, suddenly intent upon the machine itself. She looked _too_ still, too quiet. At the moment, she wasn’t _Dot._

She opened her mouth, the words tumbling out her whether she wanted to speak them or not. 

_“Take what has been hurt  
_ _Grant them no mercy…”_

Dot reached out her hands, placing them firmly against the pole of the machine. The wood turned black beneath her paws, and began to spread. 

_"Bend and break the reigns  
_ _And set the spirit free…_  
The spirit free…” 

The machine ached as it turned that sickening black. Then the darkness reached the crystals, which immediately turned a bright red. The light shifted, and then the machine began turning in the opposite direction, its beam disappearing into nothingness. It spun wildly as Dot did nothing but stand below, her dark eyes looking at nothing, and then suddenly, the room lit red. 

There was a bright, blinding flash, and then something formed from the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First verse of the Decay Incantation (and its effect on Dotpunzel) is canon as of Tangled Season Two; Second verse by the wonderful annapantsu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESCmJindLXM


	42. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty! The votes are in- this fic shall peak at 44 chapters, but continue on as if nothing happened in a second document, which I'll link once it's posted. The second fic will be called "What Once Was Mine" and pic up immediately where we left off, and also go completely batshit insane, which is on brand for me.

**CHAPTER FORTY-TWO - ESCAPE**

Yakko moved as quickly as he dared. Though he stumbled, he managed to slide Wakko into the wagon beside the mice, and then he stood, planting his feet firmly on the ground by summoning ice to hold him up. Then he took a step towards Dot, dispelling the ice when he moved his foot and having it reappear when his leg swung down. He made his way to his sister slowly, looking up through the red light, stepping over her flowing hair and holding up a hand to shield himself from the fierce wind the machine was building up. 

About halfway to Dot is when he saw the shadows begin to form. He stopped, staring in horror as the machine’s shadow formed some kind of animalistic shape, turning and moving like it was  _ alive.  _ What might have been its face looked in their direction, and Yakko immediately looked to Dot- still in a trance, out in the open and vulnerable. 

He took a deep breath, shaking, and pointed his hand at the shadow threateningly. It seemed to grow bigger, and he choked back a sob. 

_ Don’t do it. You’ll make things worse. You’ll hurt someone like you hurt Wakko. Don’t do it, don’t…  _

The creature looked to Dot again, and Yakko felt fury course through him, and he shot a thick blast of ice at the shadow. 

It burst against the wall, and the spirit vanished, leaving only shattered shards of ice crumbling down below. With that, he saw Dot start, and her hair suddenly reverted, as quick as it had changed before, back to gold. She turned, horrified and confused. 

“Yakko? What’s happening?” 

The cavern around her started changing back, too, shifting back into its grays and browns instead of the dying black. The machine, however, remained dark and began to spin faster. Yakko shattered the ice at his paws and ran, grabbing Dot in a hug, and then pulling the two of them back to the rest of the group, who were stumbling to their feet, gasping for air- except Wakko, who just curled inside the wagon and whimpered into his lap. 

“We have to get out of here.” Yakko said, before pushing Dot towards the animals and summoning another ribbon of ice to toss to them. “Buttons, Rita, Runt, get her hair up. I’ll get our escape route.” 

_ “How?”  _ Rita asked. 

Yakko didn’t answer, only pushing Dot further towards them and then turning back to the machine, which was still black, and getting darker. The arms spun faster and faster, creaking and groaning; it wouldn’t last much longer. He set his eyes above, at the crack in the ceiling the machine had formed. Snow was beginning to fall more; the reversing of the machine probably unleashed his stupid storm again. 

_ You started this. And you think you can fix it?  _

_ You’ll just hurt everyone again.  _

Yakko fixed his eyes on the crack in the ceiling, holding out his hands towards it. He steadied himself, adjusting his position so he could stand tall, and focused ahead. 

_ You really think you can save them? _

_ “Yes.”  _

_ Why?  _

_ “Because I’m Yakko.”  _

He threw out his hands, and ice burst up, forming a track, winding up the room and bursting through the hole in the ceiling. Just thick enough to stay standing, even as the room shook and trembled under the machine’s instability. And he just had to hope to high heaven it wasn’t slippery enough that they’d all fall. 

“Everyone up!” Yakko said. He ran to the wagon, beginning to pull it behind him. “Go, go, go-” 

Buttons shrugged him aside and gestured to let Runt take the wagon, being better equipped to handle it, so Yakko then ran to Dot and Rita; while the animals had succeeded in pulling Dot’s hair back with the ribbon of ice, as the wind picked up, they clearly were having issues staying put; Dot held tight to Rita, struggling to step forwards. Yakko put his arm around her shoulder and pushed her ahead, and soon they were running in step beside the wagon and racing onto the ramp of ice. Dot shivered as her paws hit the cold, but she shook her head when Yakko turned and tried to lift her up, insisting she could move fine on her own. She curled Rita closer to her chest, blinking away frightened tears. 

Beside them, Pinky and the Brain were doing their best to be helpful; they would trade off roles, with one of them rushing to stabilize everything in the wagon so it didn’t fall and trip anyone up, and the other would hug Wakko’s leg, patting his fur and assuring him that it was all going to be fine. Buttons and Runt pressed on, keeping the wagon and each other steady on their own shaky paws. 

They were about halfway up when Wakko noticed the machine’s whirring was speeding even more, and he glanced up towards the ceiling, to see the shaking in the ceiling, rocks beginning to fall, collapsing the room. 

“Alright, everyone run!” he directed, before squeezing his hand on Dot’s shoulder and pushing her forwards. 

“Uh, Yakko?” she shouted, glancing down. 

“Keep  _ going!”  _

_ “Yakko!”  _

She gestured her head behind them, and Yakko looked down, only to pale upon seeing what was directing her attention. 

The shadows were forming again, only this time it wasn’t just one, and it didn’t stay against the wall. From the dark, spinning shadow of the Demanitus Device, a smoky black figure crawled forth, before floating into the air, green eyes shining from its center and staring directly at the fleeing group. Yakko stared in horror, still pushing Dot farther, as a second emerged from the cavern wall. 

Buttons reached the crack in the ceiling, and helped Runt pull it through, barking quickly to tell them to move. Yakko pushed Dot and Rita up ahead of him, waiting for the dogs to help her up, before he glanced back at the rising shadows, and climbed out himself. 

Outside, he let out a gasp as he was suddenly pelted with snow. He held a hand over his eyes, trying to see, only to meet with the shocking storm. 

A hand grabbed his arm, and he was pulled to the side, and against the cold metal of the wagon. He finally was able to see Dot, who was sliding Rita onto Wakko’s lap; their poor brother was blending in completely with the blizzard, shivering intensely and curling up in on himself to try and retain some level of warmth. Dot pulled Yakko to the back of the wagon, where they held on tight. 

“I think, um, I think the machine backfiring might’ve made your storm worse!” Dot called over the snow. “Sorry, my bad, I think?” 

“What  _ happened  _ in there?” 

Dot shook her head, fear flickering in her eyes. “I don’t know, it was like… I couldn’t…  _ duck!”  _

She pulled him and Wakko down, as a shadow creature burst from the snow, letting out a screech. Yakko shot a blast of ice at it, but the shadow dodged around and spun once again into the air. 

“Buttons, Runt, are you attached to the wagon?” Yakko called. He heard two barks of agreement, and then said, “Good, cause the rest of us barely fit in here, and I’m getting us out in probably the most dangerous way possible.” 

“You’re  _ what?”  _ he could hear Brain shout. 

With that, he sat up and threw out his hands. Before them, another road of ice formed, and the wagon began to slip and tumble. The inhabitants of the wagon screamed, and Yakko barely managed to summon a railing up on either side of them. 

_ “Buttons, Runt, keep us on course!”  _ he shouted, before turning back around. One of those shadows was approaching them, and he shot out more ice, before turning back to continue building their road. He could only see a few feet in front of him, so it was a difficult task, and they just had to pray they didn’t run into a tree or mountainside. 

The shadow then formed in front of them, and Yakko screamed and pushed his hands down. The icy track dipped like a rollercoaster, and upon seeing where they were headed, Dot reached forward and grabbed Pinky and the Brain, holding them close to her so they didn’t fly into the air, and Rita quickly leapt onto Wakko’s lap to keep him in one place. 

They fell down the drop, screaming, and Yakko could barely keep his attention on still giving them somewhere to roll. A tree branch swung in from his side-  _ shoot, they were low enough to reach tree branches, okay.  _ He began waving his arms, giving them a more winding path, hoping to avoid any obstacles in their way, sending them to a sudden right or left whenever anything flickered in front of his vision, not even pausing to see what it was. He eventually gave them a slope to go higher, but even as they made it above what was probably the treeline, the shadow monster dipped from the white sky and tried to reach for them, and Yakko had to take them down again. 

“What in the name of all that is good and holy is  _ that?”  _ Brain shouted. 

“Bad! It’s  _ bad  _ is what it is!” Dot called back. 

“You know,” said Pinky, very conversationally for the high-stress situation they were in, “It looks like a demon.” 

_ “Oh, that’s just freaking wonderful!”  _ Yakko threw up his arms as he shouted- which was a mistake, as their ramp suddenly shot up, farther into the sky, and then instantly stopped. Before Yakko realized what he’d done, the wagon flew off of the edge of their road of ice, suspended midair for a moment. They all turned to each other, eyes wide, and then the wagon  _ dropped.  _

There was quite a lot of screaming going on then, and Yakko struggled, pushing everyone near him down, leaning up and trying to summon a path again. But he could only make a few sheets of ice, causing them to bounce every few moments, tools flying up and out of the wagon, everyone desperately trying to keep a hold of themselves, and to not topple and immediately crash to whatever was below. 

The wagon finally hit something sharp and bumpy- a ceiling, perhaps? Those felt like tiles. But it didn’t matter, because when it landed, it shattered, and everyone went flying. 

Yakko tried to reach for Wakko and Dot, but everything happened too quickly, and he was tossed into the air, landing with a  _ thud _ against a wall and dropping to a snowy ground. He scrambled to his paws, blinking and trying to see through the snow, but it seemed to have picked up even more, and he could barely stand in one place. He called out, hoping to hear someone nearby, but his voice was lost to the wind. 

_ “Wakko! Dot!”  _ Yakko screamed.  _ “Wakko!”  _

Wakko spun across icy ground, every inch of his body aching. The wind was pushing him to and fro, and when he finally managed to get a grip on a stone on the ground, he felt like he was literally about to explode. He’d  _ never  _ felt this cold in his life, even when he’d shoved himself in the freezer when he was seven to see what would happen. It was like he had chilling needles pressed against every inch of his skin, poking and shifting and bringing nothing but pain. 

He realized, when the wind slowed just enough that he could let go of the stone, that he couldn’t even open his eyes with how tired his whole body felt and how fast the snow was pounding against him. He shuddered and reached for the rock again, feeling it over, which wasn’t easy with how numb his fingers were. It felt like one of the stones that jutted out of the path of the town square- did they fly far enough that they came home? Were they almost here? 

He was pelted with another burst of snow, and he let out a cry, which meant he swallowed quite a bit of the flakes. He began coughing and sputtering onto the ground, and then he managed to pull himself to his feet, hugging himself, trying to lift his heavy tail to feel what was around him. He wanted to call out for his siblings, but he didn’t have the strength to even raise his voice. 

Softly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he waited to hear who it was. There wasn’t a response, and he tried to analyze the hand- it didn’t  _ feel _ like Yakko or Dot, it didn’t feel like their gloves, or even their paws. Honestly, now that he was paying attention, it didn’t feel like  _ anything-  _ maybe it was just a thick gust of wind. 

“Keep moving forward, Wakko.” said a light voice, one he wasn’t sure if he recognized. “You need to save your family.” 

He tried to ask a question, only to once again find himself unable to speak. 

“Push on.” said the voice, and he stumbled forwards and into the snow. “We’re not done with you yet.” 

Dot was still clinging to Brain and Pinky when she flew from the wagon, and Rita had managed to grab onto her tail before they fell. When the princess crashed onto a sidewalk, she let out a string of curse words they didn’t know she knew, and then she called, “Who’s alive?” 

_ “We likely won’t be for long!”  _ Brain yelped. 

“Where’s Runt? Where’s  _ everyone?”  _ Rita shouted. 

“I don’t  _ know!  _ Hold tight to me!” Dot clutched her cat to her chest, as Brain and Pinky quickly began gripping onto Rita’s fur. 

_ “Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?”  _

_ “I think so, Brain, but I don’t want to turn into a bear!”  _

Dot shut her eyes, trying to think. Would it be safer or more dangerous if she released her hair from the makeshift ponytail, letting it flow free? The boys might be able to find her faster if they could grip onto a strand of her fur, and maybe it would wrap around her again as a shield from the weather. But also, she didn’t want her fur to carry her off into the wind, or become heavy with snow and hold her down, or… 

_ “Dot, look out!”  _

Dot opened her eyes just in time to see the flash of green, and then she was pushed back, slid on the ice, and fell. Rita, Brain and Pinky were thrown from her arms, somewhere into the chilling blizzard. The princess landed hard against the ground, only to feel herself yanked up by her ponytail. She screamed, and was then thrown against a wall, a shock of pain bursting through her. She finally flew her eyes open when she felt herself once again pushed against the wood, forced into one place, and she stared ahead at what once might have been a person once, or a toon like her, but now was nothing but a shadow. 

The shadow was black, made of something akin to smoke, shifting and turning in the snow but looking unconcerned at the weather, as despite its fierce winds, she remained exactly where she wanted to be. Her eyes flashed a bright, horrible green, and the same color coursed through her like electricity, showing off whatever terrible magic was keeping her together. Her hands, forcing Dot into a place where she couldn’t run, were colder than the wind swirling around them. 

Dot gasped, trying to say something, but she instead just felt pure terror. The spirit leaned over, getting close to her face, and moved one hand to her chin to lift up her face. 

“So  _ this _ is the sundrop our Mistress wants.” the shadow said, in a voice that sounded too normal, too jarring for the creature it came from. 

Dot tried once again to move, to fight back, steeling herself up… and then the shadow spoke again, and her words made Dot burst into tears. 

“So _this_ is Norita’s little angel.” 


	43. Whiteout

**CHAPTER FORTY-THREE - WHITEOUT**

_ “Dot! Wakko! DOT!”  _

Yakko rushed through the snow, only able to see a little bit in front of him at a time. He waved his hands, trying to push the falling flakes away from him with a burst of magic, but it was barely working; and, truly, with his panic? He was probably making it worse.  _ He was probably making everything worse!  _

He had to move. He had to get out of here. He had to stop this  _ freaking storm! He had to make it all stop!  _

_ “Wakko! Dot!”  _

He didn’t know where anyone was, and he kept running into things, bouncing off of what felt like poles or walls or the edges of fences. But he couldn’t hold onto anything for long, because he’d knock it down, or spin off in the wind, or feel it turn to ice under his paws. 

He fell against a wall again, and stopped to breathe, trying desperately to calm himself. He had to pull it together, for everyone, who was lost in the storm. For Wakko, who was freezing to death, who was going to turn to ice and shatter if he couldn’t figure out how to save him. 

For Dot… 

Dot trembled as the ghostly hand traced her cheek, running through her fur in the way that the woman she’d thought was her mother had done so many times. Like this fur was the only thing that mattered, the most important thing in all of the world, and it was just a shame that it was attached to something that could think for herself. She hadn’t felt anyone pet her like that in months, and now it made her freeze over more than the harsh winter ever could. 

“We thought Norita found the sundrop.” the spirit hissed. “She was supposed to use it to bring us back. But she betrayed our mistress and kept it for herself. And now look what she’s done. She’s trapped it in this  _ cage.”  _

Dot opened her mouth to respond, but her words died in her throat. 

“Our mistress won’t like  _ that,  _ no, no, no. The sundrop is  _ hers,  _ you see, as is the moonstone, and every power this puny world has to offer. Still, it’s not completely a lost cause. I’m sure there’s still a way to  _ rip _ that droplet out.” 

With that, the spirit’s hand suddenly dropped to Dot’s chest, and the princess felt a piercing, horrible cold. She shrieked, her knees buckling, and she would have fallen had the spirit’s other limb not kept her against the wall. She couldn’t do anything but keep screaming as it felt like the shadow was reaching  _ into  _ her, pulling at her very essence, ripping through her blood. 

And then, all at once, it stopped. She gasped and dropped to the ice as she felt the shadow release her, and she distantly heard a shriek from before her- from the spirit? She blinked, glancing up, to see that the shadow creature had retreated several feet, now barely visible in the snow, and struggling to regain her form instead of disappearing into the air. However, when she managed it, Rita leapt through her, breaking her form in half and causing her to scream again.

The cat then slid across the ice, sliding in front of Dot, hissing and spitting and raising her hackles. Brain and Pinky clung to her back, and Brain quickly turned to Dot, shouting, “Get out of here! We’ll handle this creature!” 

Dot sputtered and tried to stand, but her paws kept slipping on the ice, her energy sapped away. The shadow formed, screeched, and leapt for her, only for Rita to leap through it again.  _ “Dot, go!”  _

She finally got her footing and stumbled up, staring down at her chest, which still felt like it was about to collapse on itself. Dot leaned against the wall a moment, hugging herself while hearing her cat attack the figure behind her. She tried to get herself to move, and finally managed to stumble a few steps. She glanced back at the fight, still trembling, her mind telling her  _ you can’t just leave them alone.  _

_ You’ll have to let your hair down to fight, it’s your only weapon. And it’ll get caught in the blizzard.  _

_ I can’t let anyone else die for me.  _

_ But the shadow wants you, not them. The longer you stay here, the more danger they’re in.  _

_ Why does the shadow know Mother? _

_...Norita. Not Mother…  _

Dot stumbled more, and then took off running, confusion and panic swirling within her as much as the snow swirled around her. Her paws slipped and slid on the icy ground, but she did her best to keep going, to keep pushing herself forward and away from the creature that had tried to rip out her soul. Or something just as awful as that, she wasn’t quite sure. 

But mostly, she just wanted to get away from the spirit that knew her false mother. 

When she’d run far enough, she began to call for Yakko and Wakko, for Buttons or Runt, for anyone who could be nearby. She hadn’t touched a wall or fence in a while- she must have stumbled out of town, but then where was she? The ground beneath her seemed more slippery, more cold, or maybe she was just noticing for the first time. 

_ “Yakko! Wakko!”  _

She opened her mouth to call that song, the one that Yakko had called to her, but then she stopped, the memory of her fur turning white, everything becoming colder, and her eyes flashing, all flowing back to her. And then, of course, the more recent memory of everything turning black, of moving without thinking, without being able to stop herself, to wonder what she was  _ doing.  _

She couldn’t do that again. Not when she didn’t even know what was happening to her. What she  _ was.  _

So she just cried, and called for her brothers again. 

Wakko could barely stand. He was being blown around like a leaf, back and forth across the cold ground. Honestly, though? He wasn’t even sure he could feel the cold anymore. He just felt  _ numb.  _

Every few steps, he had to stop to pull the light fabric tighter over his shoulders. It kept threatening to blow away in that awful wind, and he couldn’t lose the last warmth he had. His tail dragged on the ground, weighed down by snow and an exhausted ache that coursed through his entire body. 

_ Just keep going. You need to find your siblings.  _

He hadn’t heard that strange voice since he started moving again, and he was starting to think that meant he was alone once more. Her words echoed in his mind-  _ You need to save your family.  _ What was  _ happening  _ to his siblings, out there alone in the snow? To his friends, lost and alone in a  _ blizzard?  _ Was anyone hurt, or worse…? Where was that shadow? What was  _ happening?  _

_ Just keep going.  _

He heard something distantly, and it took him a moment to register that it was closer than it sounded. Some kind of skidding, or a whimper? He stumbled towards the noise, and tried to lift his hand to shield his eyes from the onslaught of snow. His arm felt too heavy, and he looked down at his own paws, shocked to see a light blue frost spreading from the tips of his gloves. He blinked in confusion, only to hear the noise again, nearer. He shivered and stumbled forwards, and suddenly Buttons pushed out of the snow, growling and straining against the wind. Runt was behind him, biting onto his tail so they didn’t get separated in the cold, and he noticed Wakko first. He slid to a stop, yanking on his friend’s tail until Buttons turned and shifted their direction, quickly running over to the freezing prince. 

When the dogs pressed against him, trying to grant him some extra warmth, Wakko simply knelt down. His knees buckled and he fell, but the dogs managed to catch him, one under each arm. 

He struggled to speak for a minute, and then finally said, “Can you track them?” 

He didn’t need to say who, they understood. Buttons nodded, and Wakko slowly wrapped his arms around the dog’s neck and let Buttons lead him off, while Runt once again took the guard’s tail carefully in his mouth and followed after them. 

A memory flickered to the front of his mind; he was about six or seven, and it was one of the rare days when he could hang out with his parents. He was following Mum, holding onto the edge of her cape as they headed to the garden, and they’d passed Angie’s crown. She’d stopped to stare, and looked sad again, so Wakko had gone over to her front and held out his arms to be picked up. It took her almost two minutes to notice him, just fixated on the symbol of her missing daughter, but then she’d lifted him up and held him close. He’d turned to look at the crown, too, and asked how long they were going to wait for his little sister.  _ Forever,  _ she’d said.  _ Family will always find each other, even if it takes forever.  _

Mum was gone now, and so was Daddoo. Now it was just him and his siblings. And he was going to find them, even if it took forever. 

Because he was going to  _ do  _ something, he was going to help them,  _ save  _ them, even if it killed him to do it. 

_ “Ah-ah, ah-ah!”  _

Yakko held his hand to his mouth, trying to send his call farther. He needed them to hear him, he needed to find them  _ now.  _ Once he was sure they were okay, they could figure everything else out. He could put them somewhere safe inside, and find a way to stop the storm, whatever it took. He just needed his siblings to be okay, please, God, let his family be okay. 

_ “Ah-ah, ah-ah!”  _

He had to be getting closer, right? They couldn’t have been that far separated. He couldn’t have lost them again. 

_ “Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah!”  _

Tears sprung from his face, and then froze and dropped to shatter on the ground. He kept waving his hands, trying to keep the snow at a distance from him so he could tell when someone came near. He’d been wandering for several minutes, completely lost, completely alone, wondering if he was making the storm worse just by being here. 

_ “Ah-ah, ah-ah!”  _

He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t do this. He was panicking, he was making everything colder by the minute. The storm was his fault, it was all his… 

_ “-save what has been lost! Bring back what once was mine!”  _

He saw a distant glow, and froze for a moment, blinking and staring and trying to figure out if he was hallucinating. Then he let out a cry of joy and called out once more. 

_ “Ah-ah, ah-ah!”  _

The glow got closer, and he started to run, despite how much his feet slid and threatened to topple on the ice beneath. The song was ending, so it was fading from view, but by the time the light had dimmed, he could see his little sister, her hair whipping in the wind and almost falling from its makeshift ribbon. Dot turned just in time to see him, and soon they were clinging to each other, refusing to let go. Yakko lifted her off her feet, hugging her close and trying not to cry into her shoulder. She made no such effort, and was soon gripping to his shoulders and letting out loud, terrified cries. 

“What happened? Are you okay?” he asked. 

“Yakko, it’s after  _ me!  _ The shadow, the- the demon thing! It’s after me, it’s going to kill me-!” 

Terror coursed through Yakko, and he held her tighter, beginning to stumble off. “It won’t hurt you. Not while I’m here. Hold tight, we gotta get you somewhere safe.” 

_ “The others are fighting it, they’re going to die, it’s going to kill them, I can’t do this, I can’t… it’s my fault!”  _

Yakko’s heart plummeted to the ground, and his throat felt dry. Her words echoed in his head, the words he’d said about himself so many times. And slowly, very slowly, it dawned on him. Now he understood the pained looks in Dad’s eyes whenever Yakko said he’d go outside to play when the magic stopped. The sighs Mom would let out when he said he’d stay in his room today, he didn’t want to get upset and hurt anyone ever again. 

_ “It’s my fault…”  _ she whimpered, tears springing to her eyes. 

He held Dot closer, and whispered, “It’s not your fault. It never was.” 

He kept walking, holding her up and trying to get a better grip with his paws. He was convinced they were walking on nothing but ice now- they must have fallen from the town and ended up above the water. At least he knew where they were, he just had to figure out which way to go now. Which way led to town, which way to the mountains, which to the forest. And, more important, which way led to everyone else. 

Dot let out a scream, breaking him from his thoughts, and he instinctively ducked down- a good instinct, because something flew over his head, dropping a sickening, dark feeling over them. He slid back, dropping Dot to the ground and then standing up and in front of her, arms out to shield her from the creature that stopped ahead of them. Its eyes appeared on the back of its form, and slowly, every part of it turned and shifted, so that it could face them. 

Dot clung to Yakko, trying to stand up as well, and Yakko took a ready position, holding out his hands and preparing to throw out his ice, whether as a shield or a weapon. Whatever kept this thing away from his sister. 

The shadow lurched forwards, and he did, indeed, shoot out a blast of ice, knocking her back. He swung his hands, and the blizzard that had been hurtling towards them suddenly spun around him, and flung towards the darkness. He didn’t stop to think, he just let his body move, let the magic flow through him as he took control of the snow. He wasn’t going to be afraid, not now. 

It seemed like the shadow was forming everywhere, so he kept turning, spinning around Dot as she struggled to untie her hair, to try and do her best to help him. He threw up a wall of ice beside them, hoping that would cause a decent shield, but the shadow rammed into it, causing it to burst. The shards of frozen water then flew for him and Dot, but he once again stood in front of her, held out his hands, and took command. The bits of ice then swung around midair and threw themselves back at the creature, who vanished into smoke to avoid the collision. Yakko spun, trying to figure out where she’d form from next. He let the snow swirl around them, creating something like a tornado, and then threw out his arms and let it all burst away, knocking back anything nearby. He turned, putting an arm around Dot, holding out his hand in front of them in case the creature still came back. 

Her ponytail had come undone, and her fur whipped around in the wind. She reached back, trying to gather it all in her hands, fighting back her own tears. Yakko started to help, grabbing her fur himself and thrusting it into her bundle. 

“Come on!” he shouted. “We have to keep-” 

_ “Yakko!”  _

Yakko let out a gasp as a horrible pain shot through his chest, and his legs gave out. He fell, with Dot dropping down to try and support him, and then the shadow formed right in front of their faces. 

“Pathetic.” said her chilling voice. “This is your bridge? You can’t even dispel a single spirit.” 

“Don’t  _ touch him!”  _ Dot shrieked, trying to help him back up, as he recovered from the shadow’s attack. 

“Don’t worry, little sundrop.” said the creature. “We’ll let our mistress have this power, too. She’ll do much more with it than you horrible things could dream of.” 

_ “Don’t touch him!”  _

Wakko heard Dot’s shriek, and before he knew it, he let go of Buttons’s neck, barely managing to keep to his feet. The dogs turned, and they started to run, heading straight for the terrified shout. But Wakko, hearing his sister in such distress, overtook them. He pushed himself, ignoring the pain in his legs, the snow covering him, the ice strangling him from the inside. 

_ “Dot! Yakko!”  _ he called, as he managed to spot his siblings, on the ice, trying to back away from the horrible shadow rising above them. Her green eyes didn’t even turn from her prey, she didn’t seem to notice Wakko or the dogs at all. Instead, she was fixated on the golden princess, trembling and trying to hold her brother. 

It was going to kill them. It was going to kill them… 

_ No. They’re not going to die.  _

_ Not while I can do something about it.  _

What happened next happened in just a few seconds. 

The shadow thrust herself down, reaching for the children on the ice, ready to grab at them and rip them apart. 

But Wakko threw himself in front of them, his hands out, as if he could push the shadow back by himself. Perhaps, inside him, he knew that he _could,_ because just as he planted his feet in front of his siblings, they turned completely to ice. Everything turned numb, blank, as he let the frozen heart overcome him, using himself as a shield for his siblings. 

The shadow came in contact with his paws just as they, too, froze over, and a blue magic blasted forth. She let out one last shriek, one full of confusion, pain, and fury, and her black and green smoky form began to shift, turning a bright blue. There was a flash from her center, one shaped like some kind of snowflake, and then she vanished and did not return. 

Yakko and Dot looked up, and saw their frozen brother. 

Dot couldn’t move, her mind refusing to process what she saw before her. Yakko, meanwhile, suddenly felt all his nightmares coming true, all his fears crashing down on him. 

He felt he could do nothing but scream, and so he did, letting out the most broken cry any of them had ever heard. 

And that’s when the blizzard ended. 


	44. The Great Thaw

**CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR - THE GREAT THAW**

The snow stopped mid-air, every flake halting in its tracks. The storm was over, at least for the time being, but Yakko didn’t care. 

He didn’t care that Buttons and Runt were sliding to a stop behind them, staring in horror. That Rita was making her way over, too, the mice clinging to her back, bleeding from her head and stumbling as she tried to race over to the children. He didn’t care that they were, indeed, standing atop the water, just a little ways from the kingdom, nor that people were staring. People standing on the shore could see him, from the iced-over boats or frosted dock, peering out from the windows of the buildings near the water’s edge. So many people could see him now, in the middle of his own magic snow, and he didn’t even notice. 

He leapt to his feet, bringing Dot up with him, but he broke away from her, racing in front of the frozen statue that stood before them. He stared, breathing heavily and shakily, begging for this to not be happening, for this to not be true. 

But it was Wakko. And he was gone. 

He stared at the icy figure, a look of determination still fixed upon his brother’s face, possibly forever. Yakko reached out a hand, paused, and then ripped off his glove, letting it drop to the ground. He reached out his bare paw, reaching to stroke the frozen face, seeing his own terrified reflection distorted in it. 

A hand slid into his, and he knew it was Dot. She was shaking, staring as well. Yakko’s instincts told him to break away from her, to run, to run and to never look back, to run into the distance and go somewhere he’d never have to see this again. 

Instead, he began to cry. 

He threw himself at the statue, hugging his brother tight, collapsing onto him. Dot joined him, rushing to the other side of Wakko so she could get a grip around both of her brothers, and she began to wail, too, the two of them just grabbing onto their brother and letting grief overtake them. 

They were there for only a minute, but it felt like an eternity, just grabbing onto the icy form of Wakko and allowing themselves to cry. Distantly, they knew everyone else was coming closer. Runt was curling up at Wakko’s feet, whimpering, and Buttons pressed against his side. Rita was there, weaving herself between Dot’s legs and the frozen statue’s, while the mice began to hug her paws. The only thing that broke the silence was the cries of the children clinging to what remained of their brother. 

The snow was still around them, floating aimlessly. Nobody cared anymore. 

Until a spark shone from Wakko’s heart. 

Yakko felt the flash of warmth, but he thought he’d imagined it, or it was some side effect of the breakdown he was having. But then he felt it again, and it was bigger, spreading past his brother’s heart. He heard gasps, cries of astonishment, and he blinked open his eyes, staring into midair. It felt like he was touching fabric again, feeling Wakko’s sweater, no longer leaning against pure ice. Runt retreated, barking in amazement, and Buttons let out an amazed yelp, and Rita shouted some kind of swear word. 

Yakko and Dot still hugged tight to Wakko, though, even as the warmth spread across his fur, and they saw, out of the corners of their eyes, its return to its smoky, soft black. And then there was one final burst, and a shower of bright sparks, and Wakko gasped in a breath, falling back onto Dot and nearly slipping on the ice. Dot cried, and pushed him back upright, and Yakko pulled away, ducking down so he could meet his little brother’s blinking, confused eyes. 

_“Wakko?”_

Wakko stared at his brother, and then cracked a crooked smile, and let out a laugh. Yakko immediately pulled him back into a hug, and then Dot leapt on them, and they fell to the ground, tumbling over each other and over the frozen water, getting tangled in Dot’s fur and in each other’s embrace. 

Finally, Yakko sat up, pulling up Wakko and looking him over, and he said, “But… you _froze?”_

“I know!” 

“How are you not dead?” 

“I have _no_ idea!” 

Dot leapt up behind Wakko, throwing her arms around his neck and peering over his shoulder. “Dude! You jumped in front of us! Why the _heck_ would you do that, that shadow could’ve killed you!” 

“Are you kidding? I wasn’t gonna let her hurt you.” 

Yakko wiped away tears, and grabbed Wakko’s hands. “Whatever you did, it saved us. And now you’re okay, though I don’t… I don’t know…” 

Dot looked over Yakko’s shoulder, and then blinked and said, “Um? Hello?” 

They turned, and stiffened upon seeing what seemed to be another shadow creature, floating behind them. But it didn’t glow green- instead, a rich purple. And it stayed at a reasonable distance, not wanting to intrude. Its eyes seemed kind as it squinted towards them. 

“It was an act of true love,” came a calm voice. “Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart.” 

They stared, and slowly, the shadow approached, and then lowered itself beside them, as if it was kneeling. It held out a smoky hand, and stared at the siblings. 

“The kind of true love that lets a child selflessly protect their enemy, the kind of true love where a man puts aside his lifelong fears and beliefs to save his family, and the kind of true love where a brother knows he’ll die, but still lays down his life for his siblings. Only that kind of love can stop such magic.” 

“Who…” Dot cocked her head to the side. “Who are you?” 

The smoke around the spirit dispelled slightly, and then returned. “I don’t have much time. You freed us when you reversed my device, opening up a temporary door to the world of spirits. But I’m not like the others, I don’t want to remain here forever, to steal life from others. I only came to help as much as I can- not that you need it, apparently.” 

_“Your_ device?” Dot whispered. 

The spirit waved their hand, and slowly, they took a form. It was still smoky, flowing and fading, but it seemed much more real, more organic in shape. In fact, it looked like them- a toon with flopping ears, a curled tail, a warm smile. 

“A lot changes over the millenia, but I guess there are some things that stay the same.” said Demanitus. “The important stuff stays. Like the love that bounds a family together.” his smile flickered. “Tiri doesn’t get that anymore. I wish I could’ve helped her. But… it’s up to you, now. You must go to our sister kingdom and retrieve the moonstone. I saw the rocks- they’ll follow the sundrop, because the stone wants to join it again.” 

“The… moonstone? What?” Dot tried to process what he was saying. 

“You’re being confusing, Mr Smoke Man.” Wakko said. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t have a lot of time, as I said.” Demanitus turned to Yakko. “Your magic was gifted to you, little one, to bring everyone back together. Perhaps it’s fate that you brought the sundrop to life, then- so you must protect her now. Your magic- though unintentionally, and through your brother’s sacrifice- managed to dispel Sugracha the Eternal, but another one of Tiri’s followers made it out. You should be able to send him back to the realm of lost souls, but he won’t make it easy for you. And Zhan Tiri will do anything to come back to this world, and take the sundrop and moonstone for herself. Don’t let her.” 

Yakko shivered slightly, but nodded, reaching out and pulling Wakko and Dot closer to him, an arm over each of them. As he did, the rest of their family came rushing over- Rita leapt onto Dot’s lap, purring, and the mice climbed up to her shoulder, staring in confusion at the smoky creature that didn’t seem to be threatening them. Runt slid under Wakko’s arm, his small tail wagging, and Buttons sat beside them, alert and ready to protect them should he need to. 

Demanitus smiled again. “You’ve made quite the family for yourselves. Don’t lose it.” 

“We’ll do our best.” Dot said quietly, leaning her head on Yakko’s shoulder. 

Demanitus waved, then, and then disappeared. His smoke spread out, vanishing into the snowy air, and then he was gone. 

There was a moment of silence, and then Brain said, “What was _that?”_

Dot burst out laughing, and then so did Wakko, and then they were all losing it in the middle of the lake. Yakko looked into his reflection, and then stood, a smile lighting up his face. 

“Hey, guys, we’re gonna want to move.” he said. 

“What?” Wakko said. 

Yakko grinned, and said, “I’m bringing our stupid Kingdom back.” 

As he spoke, the snow, which had still been frozen midair, began to rise. Wakko and Dot gasped, grinning, as a snowflake formed under the ice they sat on, shining and spinning. Yakko laughed once more, and threw his arms up, and the snow flew back up into the sky. 

And that wasn’t all. The ice, aside from the snowflake they all sat atop, broke, turning into a white mist and vanishing into the air, leaving nothing but sparkles behind them. The snow and frost atop the buildings of the Kingdom, the ships, the dock, the land around them- it all floated up, leaving nothing but bright grass, shining roads, and the warmth it had sucked away before. 

Yakko spun, and their float of ice slowly moved back across the waves, leading them back to the dock. He stepped up, holding out his hand to pull his siblings up beside him, before lifting the others as well. Then he sent the block of ice up as well, and the glimmering magic shone above them, forming a flake once more. He held out his hands, and it vanished, disappearing into the unknown. 

_“Kids!”_

Wakko turned, his tail wagging, as Hello Nurse pushed through a crowd of stunned people, running forwards. He jumped into her arms, hugging her, and she knelt beside Dot and Yakko, pulling them in as well. Yakko flinched, surprised, and she pulled away, her eyes sparking. 

“What were you _thinking,_ running off on your own? All of you!” 

“We’re sorry.” Wakko said, though he still smiled as she put him back down on the wood. 

Yakko peered over her shoulder, at everyone on the land. “Is everyone okay?” 

Nurse smiled, and then ruffled his fur. “We are now, your majesty. Loving the fur color.” 

“Uh, thanks. It’s natural.” Yakko shrugged. 

_“Scratchy!”_ Wakko and Dot shouted, then, and Yakko turned to see Scratchansniff walk onto the dock, and his siblings leap onto him, clinging to his arms and laughing and swinging. 

Scratchansniff let out a half-hearted protest, before smiling and saying, “Dot, your hair is in the water.” 

“I know, there’s a lot of it.” Dot giggled. “Gonna be a pain to dry. Anyone wanna help me scoop that up?” 

Scratchansniff then turned to Yakko, looking a bit concerned. “Vat happened?”

“What do you mean, ‘what happened’?” 

“Well,” Nurse said, giving him a look, “We saw the magic blizzard pick up, and then you and your sister fighting some kind of smoke creature.” 

“Oh! That was a demon!” Wakko said helpfully. 

“It was _what?”_ Scratchansniff said. 

“A servant of Zanax.” Dot said. 

“Zhan Tiri?” 

“Yeah! She wanted to steal my and Yakko’s power but Yakko kicked her butt and then Wakko made her go _poof!”_

“That’s. A lot to process.” Nurse said. 

“You don’t know the half of it.” said Brain, as Pinky began to laugh, and then they all joined in. 

The sun set and rose again, and Dot watched from her balcony, her hair once again pulled back into a beaded ponytail. Yakko came up behind her, smiling and leaning over the railing. 

“So nobody’s mad at you, right? Cause I’ll fight them.” she said, without looking over. 

“Naw.” Yakko smiled. “I think fistfighting a demon earned us some bonus points. And now that I have a better control over this magic crap, they don’t have to worry about me freezing over their boats. They already took off, right?” 

“You can see some of the ships over there.” Dot said. “What about Ticktockia? They figure out you killed their last guy?” 

“They didn’t say anything about it, so if they know, they don’t care. Honestly, Salazar seemed kinda like a jerk, so- oh, crud, I bet that’s why the King was talking so careful, I thought it was cause he saw me have a panic attack, so I just said my powers were under control now and I could make an ice skating rink if he wanted-” 

“Can you make one for us first?” 

“Well, yeah, of course.” he laughed, and then turned to her. “And what about you?” 

“Just thinking.” 

“Great place to do it.” 

“You mean outside?” 

“Yeah. I’m never closing the doors again, I can tell you that.” 

She bit her lip. “Any luck on finding the sister kingdom?” 

“Scratchy’s already on it, he’s getting the super old manuscripts, like the ones from when ol’ Demanitus was alive. So once he figures out where that is, we’re off. We get that moonstone, whatever it is, and stop those rocks, and then- I dunno, we’ll go get ice cream.” 

“Can you _make_ ice cream?” 

“Actually, I can, want some?” 

“Maybe later.” Dot perched herself on the railing, kicking her legs. “It’s a bit weird, though, right? Mysterious other kingdom, moon magic to go with the sun, voices in your head, that demon knew my fake mom- and apparently I can go all dark magic and make things die.” 

“Hey, only if you sing the creepy chant.” Yakko pointed out. “So long as you don’t do that, we’re safe.” 

“Still. A lot to think about.” 

“Yeah, and all the time in the world to do that. We’ve got a party tonight, remember?” 

“Are they really letting us out for it?” 

“They have to, I’m in charge! And once we’re off on our magical destiny quest, you’ll get to see _so much_ outside the castle. We all will! It’ll be so cool, and it’ll be all of us together.” 

“That’ll be the best part.” Dot nodded. 

“Hey! You two!” Dot and Yakko turned, as Wakko entered the balcony, bouncing on his paws. “The party’s starting, you need to send off the first- _crud!”_

He tripped over himself, and Yakko jumped forwards and caught him. “Whoa! You’re still recovering, buddy, don’t strain yourself.” 

“‘M fine! Really!” Wakko promised, though his legs were still wobbly. He didn’t seem too affected by the fact he’d frozen over completely, but every now and again he’d have some motor problems, or get suddenly exhausted and have to crash in the middle of the room. He was less distressed about this than the fact his streak of white fur had vanished with the spell, but Dot promised him that he was still a weird fur sibling in spirit. 

Dot slid off the railing, and then said, “Alright, let’s get this party started, and then we’re meeting the squad in the square. They have a surprise for us that’s _totally_ not chocolate cake.” 

“I didn’t know literally any of them could bake.” Yakko said. 

“They can’t, I fully expect them to buy one and pretend they made it. Be nice.” 

Yakko nodded, and then said, “Okay. Are we ready?” 

Wakko and Dot nodded, eyes shining, and Yakko held out his hands, and formed a frosty, shining lantern with his magic. The siblings put their paws beneath it, holding it beside the balcony’s railing and looking down at their kingdom, their home. 

They sent the lantern floating up, and then Dot swung her hair down the balcony. “Alright, let’s _party!”_

“The rocks are back.” 

The woman sighed and stood, stretching and muttering something to herself, and then she followed the child out of the tent, slinging a sword over her back as she passed the exit. They made their way through camp, ignoring for the moment the worried whispers of the others, and then went through the foggy, dark wood. 

They eventually reached the cave entrance- it was odd to look at if you hadn’t grown up around it, with everything inside completely dark and hidden from sight, spiraling into a long, cold passage. Outside the cave, meanwhile, were several pointed black rocks. 

“There’re more than last time!” 

“I noticed.” 

“Do you think something’s happening with the moonstone?” 

“If it was, this forest would be dying faster than a mom in a fairytale. The rocks only appear for the whole ‘eclipse thing.’” 

“So the sundrop? Do you think it’s coming our way?” 

“Kid, you know nothing comes our way.” 

“But maybe the sundrop can change that! Wouldn’t that be nice? I…” the child paused, and then admitted, “I wanna see what the sky looks like.” 

She smiled, and ruffled his fur. “And you will. Promise. But first let’s get rid of these dumb rocks. We can’t very well keep people from finding the moonstone if we’ve got such an obvious marker, right?” 

_“Rrrright!”_

She then unsheathed her sword and swung. It lit a bright blue, and cut straight through the rock, causing it to shatter. She continued along, slicing each rock and letting them disintegrate at her feet. When they were gone, she put the sword away, and then put her hands on her hips. 

“Now. You wanna go bug the rock giants?” 

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“That’s what makes it fun.” 

_“Rrrright!”_

The child scampered off, and she began to follow, only to stop, her ear twitching as she heard something behind them. She turned, glaring into the trees, where she swore she could saw a watching shadow, a faint light looking almost like eyes. It _could_ be just a trick of the fog, or some remnant of the fire spirit’s magic… or it could be something dangerous. 

Slowly, she drew her sword, still staring at the shadow and making direct eye contact (assuming those were its eyes), planting her feet firmly on the ground. There was a tense moment are the stare pressed on, and then the spirit backed away. Still, she could hear whispered words, in a light voice, almost like a little kid's. 

_“Wither and decay, end this destiny…”_

Nothing was happening, possibly because the spirit wasn’t truly in their realm, not yet. Or maybe she was imagining the whole thing. 

_“Break these earthly chains…”_

The child called from behind her. “Aunt Slappy! Are you coming?” 

Slappy blinked, and the spirit vanished. Slowly, she sheathed her sword again and turned back to her nephew. 

“Yeah, let’s go cause some mayhem.” 

Skippy bounced on his tail, giggling, and the squirrels headed off into the forest, leaving the scattered remains of the moonstone’s rocks behind them, which were reflecting the blue light of the shadow desperate to escape. 

_“And set the spirit free…”_

_The spirit free._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOW REMEMBER: Next chapter will be posted as a separate fic. (Which I'll link here once it's up!) It will be called "What Once Was Mine," pick up right where we left off, and deal with Tangled seasons 2-3 and Frozen 2. And... for those of you who know what happens in seasons two and three... I promise it's just as dramatic as you think it's gonna be. 
> 
> And I FINALLY get to write Slappy.
> 
> Love y'all! <3
> 
> UPDATE: HERE'S Y'ALL'S LINK! https://archiveofourown.org/works/29843196/chapters/73430007


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